Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears: 2008 Week 16 Recap

Game story

In Week 16 of the 2008 NFL season on 2008-12-22, the Chicago Bears took care of business against the Green Bay Packers, pulling away with a 20–17 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 17 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

A. Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) paced the passing game, with +8.12 total EPA, and +5.6% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, A. Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +8.12 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-29.5% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Green Bay Packers changed the game: (:25) 2-M.Crosby 38 yard field goal is BLOCKED (96-A.Brown), Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn, ball out of bounds at CHI 23.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 A. Rodgers · Green Bay Packers · Passing · +8.12 total EPA · 40 snaps · +0.20 EPA/play
2. 2 G. Olsen · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +6.33 total EPA · 5 snaps · +1.27 EPA/play
3. 3 G. Jennings · Green Bay Packers · Receiving · +5.10 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.85 EPA/play
4. 4 D. Driver · Green Bay Packers · Receiving · +4.00 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.67 EPA/play
5. 5 J. Jones · Green Bay Packers · Receiving · +3.53 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.76 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Finley · Green Bay Packers · Receiving · +3.25 total EPA · 1 snaps · +3.25 EPA/play
7. 7 M. Forte · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +3.21 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.61 EPA/play
8. 8 M. Flynn · Green Bay Packers · Rushing · +2.78 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.78 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Green Bay Packers — G. Jennings (A. Rodgers pass) (Q2 36:26)
• Green Bay Packers — R. Grant (A. Rodgers pass) (Q2 31:13)
• Chicago Bears — G. Olsen (K. Orton pass) (Q3 26:03)
• Chicago Bears — M. Forte (Q4 3:16)

Field goals

• Chicago Bears — R. Gould (Q2 34:10)
• Green Bay Packers — M. Crosby (Q4 13:02)
• Chicago Bears — R. Gould (OT 11:33)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The second quarter: Green Bay Packers won the period 14–3. Green Bay Packers found the end zone from the CHI 7 (Q2 36:26) — (6:26) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 85-G.Jennings for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Green Bay Packers added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q2 36:21) — 2-M.Crosby extra point is GOOD, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.; Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the GB 13 (Q2 34:10) — (4:10) 9-R.Gould 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.; Green Bay Packers found the end zone from the CHI 17 (Q2 31:13); Green Bay Packers added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q2 31:04) — 2-M.Crosby extra point is GOOD, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn..

The third quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 7–0. Chicago Bears found the end zone from the GB 3 (Q3 26:03) — (11:03) 18-K.Orton pass short right to 82-G.Olsen for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the GB 2 (Q3 25:59) — 9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

The fourth quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 7–3. Green Bay Packers connected on a field goal from the CHI 10 (Q4 13:02) — (13:02) 2-M.Crosby 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.; Chicago Bears found the end zone from the GB 3 (Q4 3:16) — (3:16) 22-M.Forte left guard for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. GB-97-J.Jolly was injured during the play. His return is Questionable.; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the GB 2 (Q4 3:11) — 9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

Overtime: Chicago Bears won the period 3–0. Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the GB 20 (OT 11:33) — (11:33) 9-R.Gould 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Green Bay Packers (Q4 0:25) — (:25) 2-M.Crosby 38 yard field goal is BLOCKED (96-A.Brown), Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn, ball out of bounds at CHI 23. [WPA -29.5% · EPA -2.50]
• Chicago Bears (OT 14:56) — (14:56) 18-K.Orton pass short left to 82-G.Olsen pushed ob at 50 for 17 yards (37-A.Rouse). PENALTY on GB-37-A.Rouse, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at 50. horse collar tackle [WPA +21.7% · EPA +2.00]
• Chicago Bears (Q3 17:10) — (2:10) 18-K.Orton pass short middle intended for 29-A.Peterson INTERCEPTED by 21-C.Woodson at GB 48. 21-C.Woodson to CHI 30 for 22 yards (18-K.Orton). [WPA -16.8% · EPA -6.32]
• Chicago Bears (OT 13:23) — (13:23) (Shotgun) 18-K.Orton pass short right to 22-M.Forte pushed ob at GB 20 for 14 yards (50-A.Hawk). [WPA +15.9% · EPA +2.03]
• Green Bay Packers (Q4 2:20) — (2:20) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short left to 89-J.Jones to CHI 24 for 9 yards (21-C.Graham). GB-89-J.Jones was injured during the play. His return is Questionable. [WPA +15.8% · EPA +1.53]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Chicago Bears (Q3 17:10) — (2:10) 18-K.Orton pass short middle intended for 29-A.Peterson INTERCEPTED by 21-C.Woodson at GB 48. 21-C.Woodson to CHI 30 for 22 yards (18-K.Orton). [WPA -16.8% · EPA -6.32]
• Chicago Bears (Q3 28:13) — (13:13) 4-B.Maynard punts 42 yards to GB 27, Center-65-P.Mannelly. 24-J.Bush MUFFS catch, RECOVERED by CHI-43-J.Davis at GB 27. 43-J.Davis to GB 27 for no gain (27-W.Blackmon). [WPA +11.6% · EPA +5.10]
• Green Bay Packers (Q1 47:16) — (2:16) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short middle intended for 80-D.Driver INTERCEPTED by 96-A.Brown (38-D.Manning) at GB 46. 96-A.Brown to GB 48 for -2 yards (80-D.Driver). [WPA -10.9% · EPA -4.44]
• Green Bay Packers (Q3 18:36) — (3:36) 2-M.Crosby 46 yard field goal is No Good, Short, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn. [WPA -7.0% · EPA -3.90]

Quarterback report card

A.Rodgers led all passers in efficiency for Green Bay Packers, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• A.Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) · 40 dropbacks · 60.0% completion · +5.6% CPOE · +0.20 EPA/play · +8.12 total EPA
• K.Orton (Chicago Bears) · 30 dropbacks · 46.7% completion · -9.7% CPOE · -0.27 EPA/play · -7.95 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (Green Bay Packers +0.00, Chicago Bears +0.01) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Chicago Bears: 13 drives, +1.05 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• Green Bay Packers: 11 drives, +0.37 total EPA, 3 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Chicago Bears leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• A. Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• A. Rodgers (GB) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• K. Orton (CHI) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Green Bay Packers TD (+6) — Q2 36:26 · CHI 7 · Score 6-0
   (6:26) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 85-G.Jennings for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Green Bay Packers XP (+1) — Q2 36:21 · CHI 2 · Score 7-0
   2-M.Crosby extra point is GOOD, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.
3. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — Q2 34:10 · GB 13 · Score 7-3
   (4:10) 9-R.Gould 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.
4. Green Bay Packers TD (+6) — Q2 31:13 · CHI 17 · Score 13-3
   (1:13) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 25-R.Grant for 17 yards, TOUCHDOWN. CHI-33-C.Tillman was injured during the play. His return is Questionable.
5. Green Bay Packers XP (+1) — Q2 31:04 · CHI 2 · Score 14-3
   2-M.Crosby extra point is GOOD, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.
6. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q3 26:03 · GB 3 · Score 14-9
   (11:03) 18-K.Orton pass short right to 82-G.Olsen for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
7. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q3 25:59 · GB 2 · Score 14-10
   9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.
8. Green Bay Packers FG (+3) — Q4 13:02 · CHI 10 · Score 17-10
   (13:02) 2-M.Crosby 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-10-M.Flynn.
9. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q4 3:16 · GB 3 · Score 17-16
   (3:16) 22-M.Forte left guard for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. GB-97-J.Jolly was injured during the play. His return is Questionable.
10. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q4 3:11 · GB 2 · Score 17-17
    9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.
11. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — OT 11:33 · GB 20 · Score 17-20
    (11:33) 9-R.Gould 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.