GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers rattled and robbed Jay Cutler, and backup tight end Tom Crabtree scored on a fake field goal in the second quarter of a 23-10 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Thursday night.
The Packers (1-1) intercepted four Cutler passes, including a pair by Tramon Williams. Facing a fierce pass rush all night, Cutler was sacked seven times, including 3 1/2 for Clay Matthews. New wide receiver Brandon Marshall was held to two catches for 24 yards for the Bears (1-1).
The Bears also lost running back Matt Forte to an ankle injury. After Williams collected his second interception, Aaron Rodgers finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter, hitting Donald Driver for a 26-yard touchdown pass and a 23-3 lead.
Forte appeared to twist his right ankle while being tackled by Charles Woodson.
With the Packers facing fourth-and-26 on the Chicago 27-yard line late in the second quarter, holder Tim Masthay and kicker Mason Crosby appeared to line up for a field goal attempt.
But Masthay took the snap and flipped the ball to Crabtree, who ran through a huge hole and streaked all the way to the end zone.
Cutler then threw an interception to Williams near midfield with just over a minute left, and the play was upheld on a replay review, giving the Packers one last chance to score.
Rodgers marched the Packers into scoring range, and Mason Crosby hit a 35-yard field goal.
Crosby hit a 48-yarder earlier in the second quarter, as both offenses struggled to score.
Cutler then threw his second interception of the night late in the third, this time to Woodson, and the Packers appeared poised to score when Charles Tillman punched the ball away from Jermichael Finley and recovered the ball for the Bears.
Marshall missed a huge opportunity earlier in the third, when Cutler found him streaking wide open in the end zone – but the wide receiver couldn’t haul it in, and the Bears had to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Robbie Gould that cut the lead to 13-3.
Marshall had not caught a pass through three quarters, with Williams providing tight coverage in the first half.
Matthews led a ferocious Green Bay pass rush that sacked Cutler three times in the first half and kept the Bears’ new-look passing offense in check.
The Packers also struggled on offense while featuring running back Cedric Benson – a former Bears first-round pick.
Rodgers was sacked four times in the first half, and Green Bay got a scare when the NFL MVP appeared to hurt his right arm while being sacked during the Packers’ second possession.
The ball slipped out of Rodgers’ hand awkwardly as he tried to throw a pass on the next play, and backup Graham Harrell started warming up on the sideline, but Rodgers went back in on the next possession.
Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings was inactive after hurting his groin late in Sunday’s loss to San Francisco.
It was the 185th edition of the NFL’s oldest rivalry. Chicago holds an overall 92-87-6 edge in the series, including a pair of playoff games. The Packers have won five straight and seven of the last eight, including the playoffs.
