It didn’t make much sense for Aaron Rodgers to play in Week 13 when he wasn’t 100 percent healthy. But he’s Aaron Rodgers and he was facing the Chicago Bears. There was no way he was going to miss it.
Rodgers wasn’t spectacular in his return to the lineup, but he was good enough to lead his Green Bay Packers back from an early 16-3 deficit and improve to 11-1 in his last 12 games at Soldier Field. He threw for only 182 yards, but wasn’t sacked and didn’t turn the ball over as his run-heavy offense eventually turned the tide against a deficient Bears defense.
While that didn’t allow for a moment quite like last year’s six-yard touchdown run that prompted Rodgers to tell the crowd he “still owns [the Bears],” Rodgers still found a moment to acknowledge the fans before sending them back to the parking lots with a loss.
Aaron Rodgers salutes the fans who came out to support his ownership stake in the Chicago Bears pic.twitter.com/siAEvNtJKH
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 4, 2022
That salute came moments after Christian Watson sealed the game with a 46-yard touchdown run with fewer than two minutes to play. After a two-point conversion put the game out of reach at 28-19, Rodgers finally found the time to play to the crowd he gets to devastate on an annual basis.
You're not gonna catch @ChristianW2017!
4️⃣6️⃣-yard TOUCHDOWN 🙌#GBvsCHI | #ProBowlVote | #GoPackGo
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/AdF348mI6W
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 4, 2022
With the win, the Packers kept their faith playoff hopes alive and improved to 5-8. The Bears’ quest for a top three draft pick earned a little extra momentum as they fell to 3-9. Rodgers may own Chicago, but his late rally may have been a long-term win for the rebuilding Bears.
