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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bears come back


Chicago quarterback Brian Griese celebrates after throwing the game-winning TD pass.Associated Press
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Chris Jenkins Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers coughed up five turnovers and their chance to remain undefeated, blowing a second-half lead and handing a 27-20 victory to the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field Sunday night.

Bears quarterback Brian Griese threw the go-ahead touchdown to tight end Desmond Clark with 2:05 left. Brett Favre drove the Packers to the Bears 31 and called the Packers’ final timeout with 13 seconds remaining, but Favre threw an incomplete pass and an interception to Bears safety Brandon McGowan in the end zone to end the game.

“It was huge, man,” linebacker Brian Urlacher said in a television interview on the field. “This is a big game for us.”

Favre had marched the Packers (4-1) up and down the field in the first half, shredding a Chicago defense that continued to look nothing like the unit that led the Bears (2-3) to the Super Bowl last season.

But the old Favre reared his ugly head late in the third quarter, when he threw a head-scratching interception to Urlacher that let Chicago back into the game.

“I was trying to make something out of nothing,” Favre said.

Griese made the Packers pay for Favre’s mistake right away, throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Greg Olsen to cut the Packers’ lead to 20-17 with 4:19 left in the third quarter. Olsen caught the pass out of bounds, but officials ruled he had been pushed out by Packers safety Atari Bigby, a call that is not subject to replay review.

Green Bay held Chicago on its next possession, but Charles Woodson fumbled on a punt return to give the ball back to the Bears at the Green Bay 41. Chicago drove for a 36-yard field goal by Robbie Gould, tying the game with 14:13 remaining.

The teams traded defensive stops deep into the fourth quarter, when the Bears appeared to convert a third-and-4 at the Packers 42 with 3:13 remaining. Packers coach Mike McCarthy challenged the spot and got the ball moved, just not enough to take away the first down.

After a 7-yard run by Cedric Benson, the Bears faced a third-and-2 at the Packers 34, Griese faked a handoff and threw down the seam to Clark, who had broken free from safety Nick Collins and linebacker Brady Poppinga. Clark ran to the end zone, giving the Bears a 27-20 lead.

Griese, playing his second game as the Bears’ starter after Rex Grossman was benched, finished the game 15 of 25 for 214 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Favre was 29 of 40 for 322 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, tying George Blanda’s record of 277 career interceptions.

Favre said the Bears are a better team than people were giving them credit for coming into Sunday’s game – good enough to not allow the Packers to get away with so many mistakes.

“They don’t need any help,” Favre said.

Favre threw for 243 yards in the first half – the most he has thrown in the first half of a game since his often-cited performance in a Monday night at Oakland soon after his father’s death in December 2003 – and the Packers led 17-7 at halftime despite two first-quarter fumbles by rookie receiver James Jones in Bears territory.

“I thought we were going to put a lot of points on the board,” McCarthy said. “To play the way we did in the first half and not finish it was very disappointing.”