CHICAGO – The Packers' locker room was left in a speechless daze Saturday night after finishing on the losing end of another Chicago Bears fourth-quarter comeback.
This time, Green Bay's season is over because of it.
The Bears scored 25 points in the final quarter to pull off an improbable 31-27 victory over the Packers in the NFC Wild Card playoffs, erasing Green Bay's 15-point lead over the final 15 minutes in front of 60,338 at Soldier Field.
Like last month's 22-16 overtime loss to Chicago, Green Bay largely controlled the game before a myriad of missed offensive opportunities, defensive lapses and a few critical miscues on special teams.
In the visiting locker room, the Packers tried to make sense of it all.
"I haven't quite wrapped my head around it yet if I'm being honest. It's just a frustrating situation," receiver Christian Watson said. "We have to find a way to win football games we're supposed to win. I think going through that first half, I definitely think that the consensus was we were supposed to win that football game."
The game couldn't have possibly started much better for Green Bay and quarterback Jordan Love, who threw first-half touchdowns to Watson, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs to surge out to a 21-3 halftime lead.
It was the opposite situation for Chicago, which turned the ball over on downs twice in the second quarter while quarterback Caleb Williams additionally threw a pair of fourth-down interceptions – to Carrington Valentine in the second quarter to linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper in the third.
During that same third quarter, Green Bay's offense stagnated after a fiery start. The Packers gained one net yard while punting on four straight possessions, three times going three-and-out.
"When I started looking at the clock, I was like damn we didn't really take no time really off the clock," running back Josh Jacobs said. "I was kind of worried about just obviously knowing how this team is and knowing how they play hard to the bitter end. They got 80% of their wins are like late comeback wins."
Amidst its slow start, Chicago still managed to tack on three Cairo Santos field goals to stay within striking distance while Packers kicker Brandon McManus missed two field goals (54 and 44 yards) and an extra point in the fourth quarter.
After cutting the Packers' lead to 21-9 with 13 minutes, 43 seconds to go, Williams led three touchdown-producing drives and a successful two-point conversion to outpace Green Bay down the stretch.
Williams' final touchdown – a 25-yard strike to DJ Moore – put Chicago ahead by four with 1:43 left. Love led the offense down to the Chicago 23 but that's as far as Green Bay would get before time expired on its season.
"I know I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight," Jacobs said. "I know it most likely is gonna hit me when I get into my bed and sit there, start replaying everything. I think the hardest day is gonna be tomorrow, seeing the guys and knowing we're not preparing for another week."
The game was eerily similar to Green Bay's regular-season loss three weeks ago to the Bears, who trailed 16-6 with a little more than five minutes left in regulation before Williams led two-scoring drives to tie the game and then win in overtime.
The first comeback helped win the NFC North for the Bears. The second extended Chicago's season while Green Bay ended its campaign on a five-game losing streak.
"All those losses hurt," safety Javon Bullard said. "This loss just a little bit bigger because it's the playoffs and we ain't got no more games. We ain't got no time for redemption. It's over with. Every loss hurt. When you know you got the game in the bag and you let them off the hook again, it's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt a little bit more."
Romeo's moment: A catalyst to Green Bay's start and nearly its comeback was the heroics of Doubs, who caught eight passes for 124 yards and a pivotal fourth-and-goal TD in the second quarter.
Needing an answer with Chicago starting to build momentum, Doubs also was a go-to target for Love late. Doubs caught three passes for 40 yards on Green Bay's only scoring drive in the second half, which ended with a 23-yard TD to Matthew Golden that put Green Bay up 27-16 with 6:36 left.
Doubs also recovered Watson's fumble near the goal line in the second quarter, which then led to his own 1-yard TD.
"I mean he was the reason we were in that game," Watson said. "I think he was the Romeo Doubs that I've known since the moment I was at the Senior Bowl with him. He's just a dawg. He's a competitor. Day-in and day-out, practice, every single day of the week, whatever we're doing, he's competing. I saw exactly what I knew Romeo Doubs was capable of."
Doubs, who's in the final year of his rookie contract, was reflective and emotional in the post-game locker room. He hadn't yet taken off his jersey while addressing reporters.
"Come in as a young kid from Los Angeles, I didn't expect to be in Green Bay," said Doubs, pausing. "Just all the feelings, that's it."
Golden's first: The Packers' rookie first-round pick scored his first NFL touchdown when he extended a flare pass from Love into a 23-yard score that extended Green Bay's lead.
Golden also caught a 12-yard out on fourth down to keep the Packers' final offensive possession alive. While Golden finished with four catches for 84 yards, it served as little consolation.
"I was waiting on it. All year, obviously," Golden said. "But man, losing hurts more, know what I'm saying. From training camp, all the work we put in, it's just gone."
McManus addresses misses: After missing a 54-yard field goal at the end of the first half, McManus went wide left on the extra point after Golden's TD and missed a 44-yard attempt wide right in the fourth quarter.
Afterward, McManus acknowledged the importance of the seven points he left off the board, categorizing his misses as the "biggest disappointment" of his 12-year NFL career.
"It's emotional. It's disappointing," McManus said. "My role on the team is to make kicks and these guys pour in thousands of plays over the course of the season and I leave seven points on the board today. Like I said, it's the most disappointing part of my career right now."
Kinnard's catch: When Chicago sent an all-out blitz at Love late in the third quarter, Darian Kinnard wound up catching his first-ever pass after reporting eligible in the Packers' jumbo package.
The offensive lineman broke two tackles, but his gain was reduced to a 6-yard pickup after he fumbled the ball 10 yards in front of him. Doubs punched the ball out of bounds, though, allowing Green Bay to retain possession.
"When they showed all out, I just thought, 'Oh damn, this ball's going to probably get out quick,'" Kinnard said. "I just turned around and was just being friendly, just to let him get the ball around or he could dirt the ball to me if he wanted.
"But he threw the ball to me and I caught it. And when I turned around and saw a defender, I just ducked, ran him over and then I was just trying to hold the ball. But clearly that didn't go too well."
