The Bears defense allowed just one touchdown and sacked Aaron Rodgers five times in Thursday night's season opener at Soldier Field. But an out-of-sync Chicago offense mustered only one field goal in a 10-3 loss.
The Bears defense started Thursday night's game in dominant fashion, forcing three straight three-and-outs while holding the Packers to minus-12 yards on nine plays. Green Bay's first two possessions ended with third-down sacks by Roy Robertson-Harris and Leonard Floyd.
The Bears took a 3-0 lead on Eddy Pineiro's 38-yard field goal with 4:09 left in the first quarter. The kick, which sailed right down the middle with plenty of distance, elicited a thunderous roar from the Soldier Field partisans.
The Packers offense ignited early in the second quarter as Rodgers completed four straight passes for 74 yards, capped by an 8-yard touchdown toss to tight end Jimmy Graham, giving Green Bay a 7-3 lead.
Rodgers caught the Bears with 12 men on the field and knew he had a free play. So the two-time NFL MVP lobbed the ball to the 6-7 Graham, who outleaped 6-foot safety Deon Bush in the end zone. On the first play of the drive, Rodgers completed a 47-yard pass to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scanting.
The Bears offense was out of sync in the first half. Six possessions resulted in five punts and one field goal, which came on a drive that started at the Packers 36.
The Bears reached the Green Bay 33 in the third quarter but opted not to attempt a 51-yard field goal on fourth-and-10. Instead, Mitchell Trubisky rushed up the middle for three yards, turning the ball over on downs.
On one possession early in the fourth quarter, the Bears were called for three straight penalties—holding and hands-to-the-face on left tackle Charles Leno Jr. and pass interference on Taylor Gabriel—resulting in first-and-40.
Crosby's 38-yard field goal increased the Packers' lead to 10-3 with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bears reached the Green Bay 16 on their final drive of the game. But Trubisky's pass into double coverage intended for Allen Robinson II was intercepted by Adrian Amos with 1:58 remaining in regulation.
See the game unfold through the lenses of our sideline photographers as the Bears face off against the Green Bay Packers Thursday night in the opening game of the 2019 season.
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
