PACKERS GIVE, BEARS RECEIVE DIVISION TITLE, FIRST ROUND BYE
Four Favre INT's give Monsters first sweep of Green Bay since '91

GREEN BAY-- With an aggressive defense and solid running game, the Chicago Bears already were shaping up as a contender. Now they've discovered the forward pass.

Starting his first game of the season, quarterback Rex Grossman added a new dimension to the Bears' offense as Chicago clinched the NFC North title and a first-round playoff bye with a 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

It wasn't easy. Grossman watched helplessly as Brett Favre tried to rally the Packers one more time. Favre's 56-yard completion to Donald Driver put the Packers at the Bears 35 with less than a minute remaining, but a spike and consecutive sacks left him only with time for a fourth-down heave that was picked off by Chris Harris as time expired.

Grossman's statistics -- 11-of-23 for 166 yards -- hardly qualify as gaudy. But his deep passes, a threat the Bears (11-4) didn't have under rookie quarterback Kyle Orton, kept the Packers defense on its heels.

Meanwhile, too many of Favre's passes are falling into the wrong hands. He threw four interceptions -- including one that was returned 10 yards for a touchdown by linebacker Lance Briggs to put the Bears ahead 24-7 in the third quarter.

Favre finished 30-of-51 for 317 yards with no touchdowns. He has thrown 28 interceptions this season, surpassing his previous career high of 24 in 1993.

The Bears swept the Packers (3-12) for the first time since 1991.

Setting the tone for the game, Grossman heaved a deep pass toward wide receiver Bernard Berrian on the Bears' first offensive play. The pass fell incomplete, but Grossman kept throwing.

Grossman completed his next five passes, including three for first downs and a 12-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad on third-and-goal from the Packers 12.

Grossman set up the Bears' second touchdown with a 54-yard heave to Berrian; a subsequent roughing penalty on Packers defensive end Michael Montgomery gave Chicago first-and-goal on the Packers 9.

Thomas Jones plunged into the end zone two plays later, putting the Bears ahead 14-7.

Grossman threw an interception to Mark Roman just before the half, ending a potential scoring drive, but still completed 7-of-13 for 120 yards in the first half. Orton had 68 yards passing in the Bears' 19-7 victory over the Packers in Chicago on Dec. 4.

Bears kicker Robbie Gould added a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter. Packers kicker Ryan Longwell -- who expressed concern earlier in the week about working with a different holder, newly signed Packers punter Ryan Flinn -- missed field goal attempts in the second and third quarters.

The Packers tried to rally in the fourth quarter, as Antonio Chatman returned a punt 85 yards for a score to make it 24-14 with 7:54 remaining. The Packers drew to within a touchdown on Longwell's 26-yard field goal.

HOME