It was a close game from start to finish, but a blocked field goal by Cairo Santos saw the Chicago Bears lose 20-19 to the Packers at Soldier Field, dropping their record to 4-6.

In the first game back after Shane Waldron, the Bears were able to see some success on the offensive side of the ball in a way they haven’t seen in a few weeks. It was exciting until the end, but the victory ended up in Green Bay’s column.

Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks deflected a 46-yard field goal attempt after Caleb Williams moved the ball down the field during a key two-minute drill. Through the ups and downs, the two teams traded back and forth throughout the afternoon.

Here are some of the key takeaways from this week’s loss.

Violation showing signs of life

The Bears made the switch from Shane Waldron to Thomas Brown as their offensive coordinator, and the change certainly paid off on Sunday.

The offensive plan was a good one as the emphasis was on getting the ball out of Caleb Williams’ hands early. It worked quite well as the starting quarterback was accurate, precise and made short passes. Blocking on screens was better under Brown, and part of that came down to relying on true offensive linemen as lead blockers. Williams was also able to run the ball well, and the Bears emphasized that creativity helped the offense move the ball down the field.

D’Andre Swift continues to make plays

Swift broke free for a 39-yard rushing touchdown on Sunday, got to the rim on the outside run and followed a nasty lead block from Braxton Jones with the left tackle to move into space. He was able to pick off an incoming defender and muscle his way into the end zone, showing his creativity and lateral quickness in the open field to take it to the house. He didn’t have much in the way of consistent running backs in the middle, but his skills in space make him a valuable asset to the attack.

Stopping the run is a problem for the defense

Josh Jacobs was able to move the ball down the field well, hitting the rock through the middle in the run game and creating some extra distance after the catch as a checkdown option. Chicago’s tackles were a hit as while there were some good plays that showed high effort from the tacklers, there were a few missed tackles. Additionally, the defensive line was pushed around a bit in the run game, as the Packers’ offensive line was able to shut down the defenders and generate some drives at the point of attack.

Join Jacob now on our postgame show with Mason West.