Matt Nagy made history Sunday, becoming the first head coach since Paddy Driscoll in 1956 to lead the Bears into the postseason in his first year.
The Bears clinched the NFC North title with a 24-17 win over the Packers at Soldier Field, improving their record to 10-4. The Bears had finished in last place in the division each of the previous four years with a dismal combined record of 19-45.
"As soon as we hired him, I knew he was the right guy," said quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. "He's got that vibe about him that everybody wants to be around him, everybody wants to play hard for him and he really motivates this team.
"Obviously he's brilliant on offense, but it's really special the way he brings a group together and motivates them for a common goal. It's really become a family and he's a huge part of it."
Nagy is the first Bears head coach to compile a winning record in his first season since Driscoll. With Sunday's win over the Packers, Nagy improved his mark against NFC North foes to 4-1 this season after the Bears went 3-15 versus division opponents from 2015-17.
Picked off: The Bears ended Aaron Rodgers' NFL record streak of 402 passes without an interception Sunday when Eddie Jackson picked off a pass that deflected off tight end Jimmy Graham's hands in the end zone with 3:04 left in the fourth quarter.
Rodgers entered the game with 23 touchdown passes and one interception this season and 24 TDs and one interception in his last eight starts against the Bears.
It was Jackson's sixth interception of the year and his eighth in two NFL seasons. The Bears lead the league with 26 interceptions, two more than they totaled the three previous years combined.
Jackson sprained his ankle on the return and was replaced by Deon Bush. The 2017 fourth-round pick from Alabama will be further evaluated on Monday.
Magic man: Tarik Cohen continued to display his explosiveness and playmaking ability Sunday. The second-year pro caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Trubisky to give the Bears a 14-3 lead late in the first half. Cohen's 44-yard punt return later set up Cody Parkey's 24-yard field goal, which gave the Bears a two-score lead at 24-14 with 6:43 left in the game.
"He does what he does all the time," Nagy said "He's a guy that can make a lot of plays from the backfield and he's a great route runner."
"You never know what '29' is going to do and I think that's the awesome thing," Trubisky said. "Punt return, catching the ball in the backfield, running the ball, he's just so hard to defend and as a great playmaker as he is we've just got to continue to get him the ball."
Sack attack: Khalil Mack led the defense with 2.5 sacks, increasing his season total to 12.5, the most by a Bears player since Hall of Famer Richard Dent had 13.5 in 1993.
"From the very first day he showed up to practice, he was a complete team player; nothing about me, all about this team," Nagy said. "He doesn't want any accolades, he doesn't want any attention and he practices really hard. And then he's a great person. He's infected every player in the right way and made us all better. Offensively too. Just always talking, always leading. Just has a great mentality to him and we're very fortunate to have him."
News and notes: The Bears finished the regular season with a 7-1 home record, their best since going 7-1 in 2005. … The Bears also clinched the NFC North in 2005 with a 24-17 win over the Packers, but that game was in Green Bay. … The Bears improved to 10-0 when holding their opponent under 24 points.
