The Bears were dominated from the outset of Sunday night's game in Green Bay, falling behind 27-3 in the second quarter and 41-10 entering the fourth period in a disappointing 41-25 loss to the Packers.
Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes and posted a 132.3 passer rating. The two-time NFL MVP tossed TD passes on Green Bay's first three possessions, capping drives of 75, 75 and 80 yards and staking the Packers to a commanding 20-3 lead.
Making his first start in nine weeks, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed 26 of 46 passes for 242 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and a 74.7 passer rating. He also lost a fumble on a sack that was returned for a touchdown. Two of Trubisky's TD passes came in the fourth quarter after the Packers had built a comfortable 41-10 lead.
With their fifth straight loss after a promising 5-1 start, the Bears (5-6) fell three games behind the first-place Packers (8-3) in the NFC North.
Green Bay wasted little time taking control of Sunday night's game at Lambeau Field, with Rodgers tossing TD passes of 12 yards to receiver Davante Adams, 5 yards to tight end Marcedes Lewis and 2 yards to receiver Allen Lazard. On their first three drives, the Packers converted 5-of-6 third downs against the NFL's No. 1-ranked third-down defense.
Green Bay blew open the game with two TDs in a 1:23 span late in the first half, increasing its lead from 13-3 to 27-3. After Lazard's TD, outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith sacked Trubisky, forcing a fumble that outside linebacker Preston Smith returned 14 yards for a TD.
The Bears offense showed some life in the first half. David Montgomery's career-long 57-yard run set up Cairo Santos' 27-yard field goal, which temporarily closed the gap to 6-3 midway through the first quarter. Montgomery finished the game rushing for 103 yards on 11 carries, his first 100-yard performance of the season.
Trubisky later engineered a 14-play, 87-yard drive he capped with a 1-yard TD pass to Allen Robinson II, cutting the deficit to 27-10 with :19 left in the first half. Trubisky and Robinson connected on a second TD pass, a 6-yarder, that closed the gap to 41-17 early in the fourth quarter.
The Bears eventually climbed to within 41-25 on Trubisky's 3-yard TD pass to Montgomery coupled with the quarterback's two-point conversion pass to Darnell Mooney with 3:21 remaining. But by then it was too little and too late.
Playing without the injured Akiem Hicks, the Bears defense struggled, especially against Rodgers. The Packers star has now won 17 of the last 19 games he's started and finished against the Bears and has thrown 30 TD passes and two interceptions in his last 12 starts versus Chicago.
The Packers were also able to move the ball at will on the ground, as the Bears run defense allowed a season-high 182 yards on 39 carries. Aaron Jones rushed for 90 yards on 17 attempts and Jamaal Williams added 73 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries.
