Packers' Love, Watson Injuries Concern Fans in Loss to Caleb, Bears Before Playoffs

The Green Bay Packers fell 24-22 to the NFC North rival Chicago Bears in their regular-season finale at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday, but they suffered even bigger losses in the form of both quarterback Jordan Love and wide receiver Christian Watson suffering injuries.

Sunday's loss locked the Packers in as the No. 7 seed in the NFC, meaning they will face the No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round:

On the same drive during the second quarter, Watson went down with a non-contact knee injury and Love suffered an elbow injury while getting hit.

Watson was carted to the locker room shortly after getting injured, and he was ruled out for the remainder of the game at the conclusion of halftime:

Love threw the ball on the sidelines late in the first half and remained in uniform coming out of halftime, but he did not return to the game, and Malik Willis replaced him the rest of the way. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told Fox Sports sideline reporter Laura Okmin that Love's elbow was "feeling better" at the start of the second half, however:

While Watson's injury appeared potentially serious, ProFootballTalk reported that Love got hit on the funny bone, which caused numbness and tingling.

ProFootballTalk noted that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen recently experienced something similar, and he ultimately didn't miss any games.

Given that the Packers had already clinched a playoff spot entering Week 18, the only thing on the line was determining whether Green Bay would be the No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the NFC.

The fact that it was far from a must-win game may have influenced LaFleur's decision regarding Love since it was more important to prevent further injury and give him a chance to play next week in the NFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

Many fans on social media expressed concern for the status of Love and Watson, especially with the postseason on the horizon:

Chicago jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first half thanks to a 94-yard punt return touchdown by Josh Blackwell and a four-yard touchdown run by running back D'Andre Swift, but a nine-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs helped shrink the Green Bay deficit to one by halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams extended the Bears' lead to 21-13 with a 32-yard touchdown pass to wideout D.J. Moore with about 10 minutes remaining in the fourth:

Packers running back Emanuel Wilson got Green Bay within two points thanks to a 21-yard touchdown run with 4:28 remaining, but the tying two-point conversion attempt failed:

Just when it seemed like the Packers were destined for defeat, Moore fumbled and rookie safety Javon Bullard recovered it with 1:55 left:

Packers kicker Brandon McManus then drilled a 55-yard field goal to put Green Bay on top at the 54-second mark.

However, it was a precursor to a heartbreaking loss for Green Bay, as Williams drove the Bears down the field and Cairo Santos hit a game-winning, 51-yard field goal as time expired:

Williams and the Bears were impressive out of the gate this season, posting a 4-2 record, but they subsequently lost 10 games in a row, and head coach Matt Eberflus was fired in the midst of the slide.

While Williams had his fair share of ups and downs individually, he finished the season with a solid touchdown-to-interception ratio of 20-6, and he threw for 148 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in a season-ending win over Green Bay.

The Bears broke a 12-game losing streak to the Packers in the process, and Sunday marked the first time LaFleur had ever lost to the Bears since becoming Green Bay's head coach in 2019.

There won't be any time for LaFleur to dwell on the loss, though, as he must prepare for Green Bay's Wild Card Round playoff game against the Eagles.

The Eagles, who rested most of their starters this week after locking up the No. 2 seed, beat the Packers 34-29 in Brazil in Week 1.

As for the Bears, they will primarily focus on their head coaching search in the coming weeks, as they attempt to find the ideal coach to get the most out of their franchise quarterback in Williams.