Bears book first NFL playoff berth since 2010
The Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North division title with a 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday to secure their first NFL playoff berth since 2010. While the Bears were celebrating a worst-to-first turnaround, the Dallas Cowboys' bid to seal the NFC East was put hold by an embarrassing 23-0 loss to the Colts in Indianapolis. The Cowboys had not been held scoreless since a 12-0 loss to the New England Patriots in November 2003. The lopsided victory saw the Colts improve to 8-6 -- still in with a chance at an AFC wildcard berth. They are tied with Baltimore, who beat Tampa Bay 20-12, with the Ravens holding the tiebreaker for the second wildcard spot. The Bears became the fifth team to punch their post-season ticket, and they did it with their first win over bitter division rivals Green Bay at Chicago's Soldier Field since 2010. Along the way the Bears ended Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' NFL-record streak of pass attempts without an interception at 402 when safety Eddie Jackson picked off a pass intended for Jimmy Graham in the end zone with 3:14 left to play. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky bounced back from a subpar performance against the Los Angeles Rams last week, completing 20 of 28 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears avenged a week-one loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field, where chicago led 20-0 in the third quarter only for the Packers to rally for a 24-23 triumph.
