What Was the Final Score of the Packer Game: The Night the Season Slipped Away

What Was the Final Score of the Packer Game: The Night the Season Slipped Away

If you’re a Green Bay fan, you probably didn't want to wake up this morning. Seriously. The question of what was the final score of the packer game has a painful answer for anyone wearing cheese on their head: Chicago Bears 31, Green Bay Packers 27.

It happened on a freezing Saturday night at Soldier Field, January 10, 2026. This wasn't just any regular-season loss. This was the NFC Wild Card round. The playoffs. The moment where everything either comes together or falls apart. For the Packers, it was a spectacular, slow-motion collapse that’s going to haunt Matt LaFleur’s sleep for a long, long time.

A Tale of Two Halves at Soldier Field

Honestly, for the first thirty minutes, it looked like Green Bay was going to coast. They were dominant. Jordan Love was carving up the Bears' secondary like a Thanksgiving turkey. By halftime, the Packers held a commanding 21-3 lead. You could almost hear the air being sucked out of the stadium in Chicago.

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Love was locked in. He finished the night with 323 yards and four touchdowns. That’s a winning stat line nine times out of ten. He found Christian Watson for a 7-yard score early on, then hit Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs to keep the momentum surging. Doubs was a monster, racking up 124 yards on eight catches. But the scoreboard is a liar sometimes. It tells you you’re safe when you’re actually standing on a trap door.

The Fourth Quarter Meltdown

Then the second half started. Everything changed. The Packers’ offense, which looked unstoppable an hour earlier, suddenly couldn't buy a first down. They punted on four straight possessions. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams—Chicago’s rookie sensation—started finding his rhythm.

It’s kinda wild how fast momentum shifts in the NFL. The Bears chipped away with field goals and a D'Andre Swift touchdown run. Even then, the Packers had a chance to put it away. Rookie Matthew Golden caught a 23-yard touchdown pass with about six and a half minutes left to make it 27-16. That should have been the dagger.

But it wasn't.

Why the Final Score of the Packer Game Stings So Much

If you’re looking for someone to blame, the special teams unit is a good place to start. Kicker Brandon McManus had a night he'd like to delete from history. He missed a crucial extra point after Golden’s touchdown. Then, with just under three minutes left and the Packers clinging to a three-point lead, he missed a 44-yard field goal.

Seven points. McManus left seven points on the field in a game they lost by four. You do the math.

Caleb Williams took that missed field goal and turned it into legend. He drove the Bears 66 yards in just over a minute. The game-winner was a 25-yard pearl to DJ Moore with 1:43 left on the clock. It was Williams’ seventh fourth-quarter comeback of the year. Seven! That’s a new NFL record, and of course, it had to happen against the Packers.

The Final Desperation Heave

Green Bay didn't just roll over. Jordan Love managed to scramble and manufacture a drive down to the Chicago 28-yard line. With no time left on the clock, Love dropped back, avoided the rush, and heaved a "Hail Mary" toward the end zone.

It hung in the air forever.

Jaquan Brisker got a hand on it. The ball fell harmlessly to the turf. Game over. Season over. The finality of it is always the hardest part to swallow. One minute you’re dreaming of a Super Bowl run, and the next, you’re wondering what went wrong with the kick coverage and why the run game disappeared in the third quarter.

What This Loss Means for Green Bay

Basically, the Packers are heading into an offseason full of "what ifs." They finished the year 9-8-1 (including that weird tie against Dallas back in September). Jordan Love has proven he’s the guy, but the supporting cast—specifically the special teams and the defensive consistency—is under a microscope now.

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  • The McManus Factor: Expect the Packers to look at kicking options immediately. You can't leave seven points on the board in a playoff game.
  • Young Receivers: Matthew Golden and Romeo Doubs are the real deal. They showed they can perform under the brightest lights.
  • Defensive Lapses: Allowing 25 points in a single quarter is a systemic failure. The "bend but don't break" philosophy broke in the worst way possible.

If you’re still processing what was the final score of the packer game, just know you’re not alone in Green Bay. It was a 31-27 heartbreaker that will be talked about in Wisconsin bars for years. The Bears move on to the Divisional Round to face either the Rams or the Eagles, while the Packers head back to Lambeau to clean out their lockers.

Moving forward, the front office has to address the special teams' reliability and the secondary's tendency to give up big plays in crunch time. Watching the film on that final Caleb Williams drive will be painful but necessary. For fans, it's time to look toward the 2026 NFL Draft and hope for a few more pieces to complete this puzzle.