Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love left the game with a concussion on Saturday as his team dropped an overtime shocker to the Chicago Bears, who outlasted their division rival for a 22-16 win.
The Packers played most of the game without Love, who left with a concussion during the second quarter.
Love was dropping back to pass when he was hit in the backfield by Chicago defensive end Austin Booker. Love was lowering his head as Booker made the tackle, and the two players made helmet-to-helmet contact.
The Packers quarterback lay on his back on the field as he was attended to by trainers before he went to the blue medical tent on the sideline. He was then taken back to the locker room, where he was diagnosed with a concussion.
Love was replaced on the drive by Malik Willis, who led Green Bay to a field goal on the possession. Love had completed 8 of 13 passes for 77 yards before exiting.
Willis finished the game 9 of 11 for 121 yards and one touchdown. He also ran 10 times for 44 yards.
The Bears trailed 16-6 with under three minutes to go in the fourth quarter but forced the extra period with two late scores before Caleb Williams found D.J. Moore on a 46-yard pass for the game-winning touchdown.
Per NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Chicago’s win probability dipped to as low as 0.5% in the fourth quarter before they rallied in the final minutes.
Green Bay took a 6-0 lead into halftime before the Bears finally got on the board with a field goal on their first drive of the second half. Late in the third quarter, the Packers scored the first touchdown of the game on a perfect pass from Willis to Romeo Doubs.
The teams then traded field goals on their next three possessions, with the Bears ultimately cutting Green Bay’s lead to 16-9 with one minute and 59 seconds to go. Only having two timeouts left, Chicago called an onside kick after its last field goal, and the Bears recovered it after Doubs couldn’t corral the ball.
Williams then led an eight-play, 53-yard touchdown drive capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker on fourth down.
In overtime, the Packers had the ball first but couldn’t convert on a 4th and 1 from inside Chicago territory after Willis fumbled the snap. Four plays later, Williams connected with Moore for the winning score.
Saturday’s game was a key one for both sides. The win solidified the Bears’ hold on first place in the NFC North, as they improved to 11-4. Green Bay fell to 9-5-1 with the loss, with the 8-6 Detroit Lions hot on their tail for the final playoff spot in the conference.
Chicago will travel to play the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, while the Packers will host the 7-7 Baltimore Ravens.
