Even though the Green Bay Packers had to turn to Malik Willis under center after Jordan Love was forced out of the team’s Week 16 contest against the Chicago Bears with a concussion, they controlled the action for much of the latest battle in this storied rivalry. Pretty much everything that could go wrong for this team down the stretch, though, ended up going wrong.
The Packers threw away a 16-6 lead that they held with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, allowing the Bears to force overtime, where they eventually won by a score of 22-16. One play in particular during overtime killed Green Bay, and after the game, Willis revealed who was to blame for the critical error that cost the team dearly.
Malik Willis Blames Himself for Crucial Mistake vs. Bears
With Love getting forced out of the game early, it seemed like the Packers were in trouble, but Willis stepped into an incredibly difficult situation and kept his team in this game. When all was said and done, Willis had completed nine of his 11 pass attempts for 121 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 44 yards on 10 carries.
Late in the game, though, Willis couldn’t do enough to help Green Bay sneak out a win. The Packers’ offense was moving the football well on their only drive of overtime, but a botched snap on 4th & 1 resulted in the Bears getting the football back, and as we all know, they promptly went down the field and scored a game-winning touchdown.
While Willis impressed during his time on the field, not getting the result he wanted is obviously a tough pill to swallow. When looking back on the aforementioned gaffe that ended up coming back to haunt Green Bay, Willis revealed that he sped up his cadence in an effort to get the ball snapped, and he pinned the blame for the poorly run play on himself.
“Just a miscommunication between me and Sean (Rhyan),” Willis said after the game. “He wasn’t expecting me to change up the cadence, but the clock got low, and I was just trying to hurry up and get it snapped, so we were just a little off time and off kilter there. That’s on me.”
Packers’ Hopes of Winning NFC North Disappear After Crushing Loss
GettyPackers head coach Matt LaFleur.
Everybody knew just how big the stakes were heading into this game, and while the Packers did a good job of fighting valiantly, it wasn’t enough to yield a victory. Now, their chances of winning the NFC North division are practically nonexistent, which only makes this loss sting more, considering how the team appeared to be in control of their division from the get-go this year.
Green Bay still has work to do in order to secure its playoff spot, but things aren’t exactly going to get any easier for them in Week 17, as it has a difficult contest against the Baltimore Ravens coming up on its schedule. With this game set to take place on Saturday night again, kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
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