NFL Recap (Chicago-Green Bay)
Posted: Sun December 13, 1998 at 7:03 p.m. EST
GREEN BAY 26, CHICAGO 20
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Brett Favre had two
touchdown passes and was helped by 105 yards rushing from Dorsey Levens as
the Green Bay Packers
moved a step closer to clinching a playoff berth with a 26-20 victory over
the archrival Chicago
Bears.
Antonio Freeman,
who missed last week's 24-22 loss to Tampa Bay with a fractured jaw, had
eight receptions for 103 yards and a score as Green Bay (9-5) was unable to
clinch a playoff spot due to wins by Tampa Bay and Arizona, a pair of NFC
wild card contenders.
"I felt rusty today," Freeman admitted. "In the locker room before
the game, I felt like it was my first NFL game. I haven't been nervous in
a while, but I was really nervous."
"Antonio said he can play, he should play," said Packers coach Mike
Holmgren. "It makes a big difference having Antonio on the field. I can
say that they put good pressure on us early."
In his third game back since missing eight contests due to a broken
ankle, Levens recorded the seventh 100-yard game of his career. Green Bay
entered the game averaging 93.8 yards per game, the sixth-worst mark in the
league.
"I'm on my way, definitely," said Levens. "I may not be 100 percent
before the season's over, but I'm on my way. I cannot run as fast as I
used to... I think I can play the whole game and may have to because Darick
(Holmes) injured his shoulder."
The Packers have won nine straight games against the Bears, the
longest winning streak one has held over the other in the 155-game rivalry
between the two storied franchises. Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren is 11-2
against Chicago.
Favre completed 26-of-42 passes for 290 yards and tied Buffalo Bills quarterback
Joe Ferguson for the second-longest starting streak by a quarterback at 107
regular-season games. Ron Jaworski holds the record at 116 with the Philadelphia Eagles from
1977-84.
The Bears (3-11), who have lost six straight games, got as far as the
Green Bay 25 with 1:05 to play, but Steve Stenstrom was sacked
by defensive tackle Bill Lyon, defensive end Reggie White and defensive
tackle Santana Dotson
on consecutive plays and the Packers reclaimed possession on downs.
"It's a huge game for us no matter who it is," said Favre. "The last
three or four games, our running game has picked it up. Maybe this fighting
to get into the playoffs is good for us. The way Reggie White is playing, I
think Reggie should be the defensive player of the year."
"When you come to Lambeau, you have to score," said Bears coach Dave
Wannstedt. "This game makes the loss so difficult. The guys really came
out to win. There was no lack of effort, there was no lack of intensity.
The guys played their guts out."
Chicago struck quickly on offense as Stenstrom ran a bootleg around
right end from one yard 3:06 into the game. Ex-Packer Edgar Bennett had a
43-yard run to the Green Bay 5, the longest for the Bears this season.
A 35-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell capped an
11-play, 73-yard drive on the Packers' next possession, and Longwell's
kicks of 43 and 40 yards late in the first half gave Green Bay a 9-7 lead
at halftime.
The Bears took a 13-9 lead just over four minutes into the second half
when cornerback Walt
Harris stepped in front of a pass for Freeman and went nine yards for
his first NFL touchdown.
Green Bay countered with an 11-play, 67-yard drive. Favre threw an
18-yard pass to Freeman on 4th-and-1 to the Chicago 12. Three plays later,
Favre hooked up with tight end Mark Chmura to give the
Packers a 16-13 lead with 5:31 to go in the third quarter.
"Once I got that hit, I think the slant on the fourth-and-one, and all
those guys jumped on me, I was playing like a wild man," said Freeman.
"Sometimes I think I'm crazy, sometimes I think I'm stupid, but I think I
made the right move by coming back this week."
After the Bears were forced to punt, Favre engineered a 10-play,
71-yard drive, capped by a 13-yard TD toss to Freeman on a crossing route.
The two hooked up to convert third-down plays on passes covering 10 and 22
yards.
The Bears lost the ball on downs at the Green Bay 31 on their next
possession before Longwell drilled a 24-yard field goal to make it 26-13
with 3:57 to go. But Glyn
Milburn raced 94 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, giving
the Bears life.
Stenstrom completed 16-of-28 passes for 126 yards as the Bears were
outgained, 393-192.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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