The Bears Den: December 30, 2013 - Week 17 Bears-Packers game reports & news

Bears stunned by late Packers rally - Larry Mayer: The Bears blew a 28-20 fourth-quarter lead in falling to the Packers 33-28 in a winner-take-all NFC North showdown Sunday at Soldier Field.

Fresh start under Trestman ends with a thud - Brad Biggs: With the calendar turning to 2014, the Bears will brace for an offseason full of questions with 29 of the 58 players on the roster coming out of contract. What's next for Bears.

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Chicago Bears 28, Green Bay Packers 33

Packers' late score shocks Bears to win NFC North - Game report and [Video] highlights from NFL.com. Box scores.

Game review - The Tribune's drive charts, performances of note, and game stats.

Larry Mayer's Game Blog - Senior Writer Larry Mayer from the press box as the Bears lost to the Packers 33-28 at Soldier Field.

Rapid Reaction - Michael C. Wright with a few quick thoughts on the Bears' 33-28 loss. Jeff Dickerson: 5 things we learned.

Bears fail to make playoffs after Packers’ 33-28 last-minute win - Patrick Finley: Fourth-and-8 with 46 seconds remaining. Get a stop, the game’s over, and the Bears win the NFC North. /facepalm

Bears' season ends with loss to Packers - Bob LeGere: The Bears weren't able to overcome a defense that couldn't make a play when it had ample opportunities with the game on the line.

Packers vault over Bears for NFC North title - Jake Flannigan: The victory gives Green Bay its third straight division championship and second clinching victory in Chicago.

Cutler, Bears come up short in loss to Packers - Rich Campbell: The Bears surrendered two fourth-quarter TDs in a 33-28 loss to the Packers on Sunday that cost them the NFC North division championship and a playoff berth.

[Video] Game review - Eric Allen breaks down the Packers' Week 17 win over the Bears.

Trestman kept word, featured Forte - Seth Gruen: Trestman made it clear early on that Matt Forte would the key to the Bears’ offensive success in 2013.

[Video] Jeff Dickerson & Michael C. Wright - Jeff Disappointed and Mumble C. Wright discuss the Bears' loss to the Packers for the NFC North crown and recap Chicago's disappointing season.

View from the Moon - Moon Mullin: Bears' failures end their season, extend Packers' again.

[Video] Game review - Jen Lada and Moon Mullin break down Bears' gut-wrenching loss.

Game notes - Larry Mayer: Forte shines in losing effort; strong finish by Cutler, Marshall; Britton in for Mills; more notes.

Game notes - Adam L. Jahns: Hester close to breaking two returns; Bears didn't see much rust from Rodgers; Britton on filling in for Mills.

Game notes - Rich Campbell: Forte finishes best season with fine performance; Cutler strong; Bears expected to pick 14th in first round of Draft; more notes.

Rodgers to Cobb TD pass finishes off Bears - Fred Mitchell: Packers QB throws for 318 yards in his first game since Nov. 4.

Stats & Info - Some stats and figures from ChicagoBears.com.

Photos from ChicagoBears.com ... Sun-Times ... Daily Herald ... Tribune.

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So, about that Defense

Two miscues cost Bears defense - Larry Mayer: Critical miscues by the Bears defense led to two key Packers TDs in Sunday’s 33-28 season-ending loss to Green Bay.

Packers hand Bears gut-wrenching loss - Dan Wiederer: Rodgers' 48-yard TD pass to Cobb on 4th-and-8 decides NFC North

Fitting end to dreadful Defensive season - Adam Hoge: For the Bears, there couldn’t have been a more fitting ending to the season than the fastest player on the opposing team running free down the middle of the field on the game’s climactic play.

Bears blitz at wrong time, opening door for game-winner - Rick Morrissey: It ended the way it probably should have, with a puzzling defensive decision by the Bears in the final minute of the game giving up the winning TD.

Packers' key TD on fumble after Bears’ defensive lapse - Mark Potash: The Bears just stood there. And let the Packers beat them at their own game. It was a fitting testament to the demise of a once-proud defense that made takeaways an art form.

Fumble return was where season really ended - Joe Aguilar: Play to the whistle. It's taught in youth football and at every level after that. Lovie Smith preached it. For some reason, in a make-or-break game, the Bears inexcusably quit on a play that proved pivotal.

One play didn't lose game, but it hurt - Michael C. Wright: Trestman struggled to explain Sunday how Green Bay's Jarrett Boykin scooped up a loose ball and scored while everybody else on the field stood and watched.

Cold fact: Bears defense not up to task - David Haugh: The worst defense in Bears history cemented its legacy by blowing a late fourth-quarter lead with the NFC North title on the line.

Errors show Bears' D needs change - Jon Greenberg: Defensively, it's obvious the Bears must clean house and start over. The wrecking-ball philosophy might very well go to the DC position after just one season.

Bears defense saves the dumbest for last - Steve Rosenbloom: Just when you thought the Bears defense couldn’t humiliate itself any worse, there was Sunday’s final minute against the Packers.

Trestman can't explain Bears' mental gaffe - Rich Campbell: Bears defense fails to pursue loose ball as taught to do in practice.

Two plays resonate in Trestman's mind after loss to Packers - Mark Strotman: Defensive lapses both disappointed Trestman, but for different reasons.

Trestman: Bears responded well to fumble return TD ‘debacle’ - Marc Trestman called Green Bay's first-half fumble return for a TD "a debacle," as the entire defense stood around and watched their rivals make an easy score. Includes [Audio].

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Cutler

Decision on Cutler will determine course of Bears’ future - Rick Telander somehow slips in that the failure to pick up the fumble is "at least a little bit (Cutler's) fault." /facepalm

Marshall on Cutler: ‘Jay will be back’ - Adam L. Jahns: Focus now turns to Phil Emery, who is tasked with turning the chaos he knew was coming into a team better than 8-8. It all starts with Cutler, of course.

Another bitter ending for Cutler and Marshall - Dan Wiederer: Once again, a promising season ends with heartbreak for one of the NFL's most productive yet ill-fated QB-WR tandems.

Cutler performs in a losing effort - Michael C. Wright: Having displayed a tendency to be flippant in the past after a loss like Sunday’s, Cutler displayed genuine disappointment about how the game played out and the finality the defeat to the Packers presents.

Packers' Hawk feels Cutler 'didn't make any mistakes' - Jake Flannigan: Despite playing in only 11 games this season, Cutler had a career-high 89.2 passer rating, an improvement Hawk and the Packers defense certainly noticed.

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More from the game

Marshall looking to put loss behind quickly - Patrick Finley: Marshall now has played eight seasons without reaching the playoffs. ‘‘It hurts pretty bad,’’ he said, ‘‘but I’m proud of the guys.’’

Turns out, Bears just who we thought they were - Barry Rozner: With a new staff, new offense, new players and an aging defense, a .500 season would have been considered a good year had the Bears not started 3-0 and looked at times like they were in good playoff position.

Just when are Bears going to solve Packers riddle? - Mike Imrem: Waaaaaaah.

Four Downs - Dan Wiederer: Blown coverage by defense fitting way for Bears' season to end; time to attempt to salvage McClellin with move to LB?

Big season, but Forte wanted much more - Bob LeGere: This season was the most productive of Matt Forte's six-year career. But after the Bears' loss left them on the outside looking in at the postseason, he was having regrets.

Hester, Peppers unsure of futures - Jeff Dickerson: Hester is one of a long list of prominent Bears players with expiring contracts, and while Peppers lead the team this year with 7.5 sacks, he didn’t look nearly as dominant as he had in previous seasons.

Hester wants to return, but open to reunion with Lovie Smith too - Adam Hoge: Devin Hester has made it clear that he wants to stay with the Bears, but if that doesn’t happen, he has another idea.

Team notes - Bob LeGere: Marshall says Cutler will be back with Bears, follows Ray Lewis' example rather than LeBron's; Hester wants to retire as a Bear.

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Game grades

Game grades - Mark Potash brings you his grades in a slideshow for your delectation.

Game grades - Joe Aguilar hands out grades; game ball goes to Aaron Rodgers.

Game grades - Jeff Dickerson's report card for Bears-Packers.

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I think I'm going to be sad, I think it's today, yeah.