The Chicago Bears’ losing streak against the Green Bay Packers hit 11 games Sunday at Soldier Field when Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field-goal attempt was blocked as time expired. Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks leaped with his hand raised and was credited with the block that secured the Packers’ 20-19 victory. The Packers (7-3) went ahead with 3 minutes, 2 seconds to play on quarterback Jordan Love’s 1-yard touchdown run. With the Bears leading 19-14, Love hit Christian Watson for a 60-yard pass with 3:12 to play. Watson caught the ball near the Packers 45-yard line as he was tumbling to the ground. Because he was untouched, he bounced up for an extra 40 yards to get to the Bears 14. Love rushed 13 yards to the 1 and then scored on the next play. The Packers’ 2-point conversion run failed. The Bears (4-6) kept the game closer than perhaps expected given the recent drama at Halas Hall, in which coach Matt Eberflus fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday and promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown. And the change appeared to provide a spark for the offense, which scored a touchdown in the second quarter to break a streak of 25 possessions and nine quarters without getting in the end zone. But in the end, the Packers ensured the Bears’ most recent win in the rivalry remains in 2018. Eberflus hasn’t beaten the Packers in his three-year tenure. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, playing in his first game in the rivalry, had a chance to lead a winning drive. After getting sacked on first and second down, Williams hit Rome Odunze for passes of 16 and 21 yards and Keenan Allen for 12 yards to get to the Packers 30-yard line. Roschon Johnson gained 2 yards on the next play, and the Bears let the clock wind down to set up Santos, who had made two earlier field goals. Williams completed 23 of 31 passes for 231 yards and rushed for 70 yards. Bears running back D’Andre Swift, who had only 13 rushing yards in the first half, broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Williams’ 2-point conversion pass to Cole Kmet was incomplete, and the Bears took a 19-14 lead. The Bears defense came up with a huge stop after Love hit Watson for a 48-yard pass to the 8-yard line. Josh Jacobs was stopped for a 1-yard loss and a 4-yard gain, and DeMarcus Walker pushed Love out of bounds for a 1-yard sack. Love then tried to scramble on fourth-and-goal from the 6 but gained only 5 yards. After taking a 10-7 halftime lead, the Bears increased it on the opening drive of the third quarter with Santos’ 27-yard field goal. The Packers responded quickly with a six-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Jacobs’ 7-yard touchdown run to go up 14-13. Here’s how the game unfolded. Inactives: Montez Sweat will play, both offensive tackles return Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) tackles Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) near the line of scrimmage in the first quarter Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Bears defensive end Montez Sweat will play Sunday against the Packers after dealing with an ankle injury in practice during the week. Sweat was listed as questionable entering the game, but coach Matt Eberflus said he was optimistic that Sweat would be OK to play. Now Sweat, who previously dealt with a shin injury, will be available to get after Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Bears offensive tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright also return to the lineup after missing the Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots, in which quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked nine times. The Bears previously declared out left guard Teven Jenkins (ankle) and offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (calf). Eberflus said Ryan Bates will take Jenkins’ place on the line. Defensive back Ameer Speed and defensive end Dominique Robinson also are inactive for the Bears. For the Packers, cornerback Robert Rochell, safety Kitan Oladapo, offensive tackle Travis Glover and defensive lineman Colby Wooden are inactive. Halftime: Bears end TD drought to take 10-7 lead Bears quarterback Caleb Williams keeps the ball on a first-quarter run against the Packers on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 85 yards and rushed for 60 in the first half to fuel a 10-7 halftime lead against the Packers at Soldier Field. Under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, the Bears ended a 25-possession, nine-quarter streak without a touchdown. Running back Roschon Johnson scored on a 1-yard run with seven seconds to play before halftime. The Bears started the drive thanks to the lone takeaway of the half. On third-and-11 from the Bears 15, cornerback Terell Smith intercepted Packers quarterback Jordan Love at the 1 and returned it 23 yards. Nickel back Kyler Gordon had stopped Jayden Reed for a 5-yard loss one play earlier. The Bears then marched 76 yards for the touchdown. Williams rushed for 34 yards on the drive. His short pass to DJ Moore gained 12 yards to get the Bears to the 5. Johnson came close to scoring on second-and-goal from the 3, then got in on his second try on third down. Williams completed 9 of 12 passes in the half. Moore had six catches for 56 yards. Love was 8 of 12 for 99 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Josh Jacobs rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries. The Packers easily marched 70 yards on their opening drive, scoring on Love’s 15-yard pass to Reed. Jacobs had 25 rushing yards and Emanuel Wilson added a 13-yard carry on the drive. Bears kicker Cairo Santos made a 53-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. Williams had a 16-yard run and a 16-yard pass to Moore to get the Bears into scoring position. The field goal brought the Bears’ first-quarter scoring total to 13 points this season. Bears left guard Ryan Bates, who was starting for Teven Jenkins, left in the first quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Jake Curhan replaced Bates, who was ruled out later in the half. Catch up on the rest of our coverage. What to watch for — plus our predictions Packers quarterback Jordan Love runs off the field after a victory over the Bears at Soldier Field on Sept. 10, 2023. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) It’s always the Packers quarterback in the spotlight against the Bears, isn’t it? After Aaron Rodgers went 25-5 in his career against the Bears, Jordan Love, his successor, won his first two starts last season to extend the Packers’ winning streak to 10 in the rivalry. Love completed 71.2% of his passes for 561 yards with five touchdowns, no interceptions, two sacks and a 129.3 passer rating in those two games. Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson missed the season finale against the Packers last season with a shoulder injury, so he didn’t play against Love after the quarterback rounded into form — with 18 touchdowns and just one interception over the final eight games. But he knows how much stopping Love and the Packers would mean to Chicago, because it would be the same for him. “We’ve been getting our ass whooped for a long time now,” Johnson said. “I don’t have a win (against Green Bay), so it would mean a lot to me personally.” Read more here. Bears and Packers have played 208 times in the past 100 years. Here’s how the rivalry has unfolded. 4 things we learned from the Bears, including Jaquan Brisker going on IR and DJ Moore on Packers ‘trash talk’ No pressure, right? New Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown walks across the field during practice at Halas Hall on Nov. 13, 2024, in Lake Forest. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) During his first team meeting as the new offensive coordinator on Wednesday morning, Thomas Brown articulated his vision for the week, offered some ready-made adjustments for the team’s struggling offense and spoke with purpose about what will be needed to keep this roller-coaster season from careening off the track. Make no mistake, a far different energy pulsed through the air at Halas Hall, a palpable passion that Bears players felt ready to plug right into. “To hear him up there in front of the whole team, it was amazing,” receiver DJ Moore said. “He brings a lot of juice, a lot of energy.” Now the Bears are praying that Brown’s charisma and infectious “juice” can, at the very least, give them a short-term lift in the fight to save their season. Read more here. Column: How the Bears’ season went from brimming with optimism to turmoil, with Caleb Williams at the center of it Fired Bears OC Shane Waldron was ‘too nice of a guy.’ 3 things we learned on a busy day at Halas Hall. Column: Can Thomas Brown save the Bears season — or, more importantly, save Caleb Williams? What it all means for Matt Eberflus Bears coach Matt Eberflus leaves the field after a loss to the Cardinals on Nov. 3, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) When Matt Eberflus walked into his first training camp as the Bears head coach, he did so with a collection of 19 assistants, a mostly handpicked coaching staff he believed could help lift the team to new heights. That was just 27 months ago. At the midpoint of his third season, only eight members of Eberflus’ original staff remain. If you’re keeping track, Waldron is the third coordinator Eberflus has parted with in 2½ seasons. Over the last 15 months alone, 10 of Eberflus’ assistants have departed, including eight via either resignation or dismissal. Read more here. Bears Q&A: Will the offense look different with Thomas Brown in charge? Why wasn’t Matt Eberflus fired? Column: Call failed? Matt Eberflus’ indecisiveness is another sign of the Bears being disconnected. Will move help unlock Caleb Williams? Bears quarterback Caleb Williams speaks with the media during a press conference at Halas Hall on Nov. 13, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Nine games into Caleb Williams’ rookie season, his development — and the Bears offense — had taken such a concerning step back that coach Matt Eberflus fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The midseason upheaval is obviously not ideal, but the Bears hope Thomas Brown’s fresh approach to leadership and perspective on the offense will help unlock Williams. In the previous three games, Williams completed just 50.5% of his passes for 468 yards with no touchdowns, 18 sacks and a 64.7 passer rating. Eberflus has said Williams remains the starter, so it falls on Brown to turn him around. Williams said he thought Bears leaders had properly seen his frustration with how the offense was going, but he didn’t think he could have given much input to influence the decision. Eberflus said he consulted with team leaders, including Williams, and the players shared their frustration but didn’t ask for the move. Read more here. Tracking Caleb Williams: How the Bears QB is performing in his rookie season Bears release veteran guard Nate Davis, who signed a 3-year, $30M contract in 2023 Stadium update The former Michael Reese Hospital site, between a truck marshaling yard and Prairie Shores apartments on April 26, 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) The Bears are reconsidering the former Michael Reese Hospital site as a potential location for a new stadium, a source said, but the team remains focused on the lakefront. The team is open to any alternative that would work, but officials have said previously that the former hospital site was unworkable because it’s next to Metra train tracks that pose a security risk. The 49-acre site is limited because it’s long and skinny, sandwiched between the tracks and DuSable Lake Shore Drive on the east, apartments on the west, 31st Street on the south and the Stevenson Expressway to the north. The advantage of the site is that it’s mostly open land, not far from the Loop and the lake, and next to McCormick Place Convention Center. It would also avoid a legal fight over the Bears’ proposal to build a $3.2 billion roofed stadium on the lake to replace the team’s current home in Soldier Field. Read more here.