Packers hold off late Bears rally to win 21-14 & clinch NFC Championship..
Written by The Go-To-Man Mattie T. on January 23, 2011
In a scenario that nobody invisioned happening, 3rd string quarterback Caleb Hanie nearly rallied the Chicago Bears from a 2-touchdown deficit during the 4th quarter.
Sam Shields ended the comeback bid though, as his late interception sealed the Packers’ 21-14 win over the Bears which now sends Green Bay to the Super Bowl for the first time in 13 years.
After the Packers took a 14-0 first half lead with a pair of rushing touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers & James Starks, their defense won the game for them against three different Bears quarterbacks.
Jay Cutler played most of the first half before exiting with a knee injury and completed just 6 of 14 passes for 80 yards with 1 interception.
Todd Collins managed Chicago to just 3 net yards of offense on his two drives, as he was pulled for 3rd stringer Caleb Hanie to begin the 4th quarter.
Hanie finally gave the Bears some life offensively, as he engineered a 8 play, 67-yard drive that ended with a Chester Taylor 1-yard touchdown run to make it a 14-7 game with 12:02 remaining.
He also made a critical mistake, as his 3rd & 5 pass from the Bears’ own 15-yard line was intercepted by B.J. Raji, as the 337-pound defensive tackle ran it back for a touchdown to put Green Bay up 21-7 with 6:04 left.
Hanie wasted no time in leading the Bears to another score, as he only needed 1:16 to engineer a 60-yard drive, which ended on Earl Bennett’s 35-yard touchdown catch.
Chicago then got a much-needed defensive stop on Green Bay, which gave them the football back with 2:53 left.
Hanie went 6-for-9 with 50 yards on the Bears’ final drive, but was interecepted by Sam Shields on 4th & 5 to end the game and send Green Bay to Super Bowl XLIV in Dallas, TX on February 6th.
Despite converting on just 2-of-11 third downs, the Packers found a way to get it done on a day where Aaron Rodgers (17 of 30 for 244 yards & 2 interceptions for a 55.4 rating) wasn’t at his best to send the 3rd-year starter to his first ever Super Bowl appearance.
He also made a key tackle on Brian Urlacher, who nearly took his 3rd quarter goal-line interception the other way for a touchdown until Rodgers made a big stop at midfield:
“I don’t think he saw me,” Urlacher said. “He threw it to me—then he tackled me.”
While the Packers will now prepare for the Super Bowl, the Bears will await word on their franchise quarterback’s knee injury after Monday’s scheduled MRI.
