Packers deny Giants playoffs by outlasting full-bore Bears

GREEN BAY -- True to their word, the Bears -- with a chance to ease up and use their reserves -- played their starters the entire game. Unfortunately for the Giants, it wasn't enough.

The Giants needed to win and have the Bears beat the Packers yesterday to sneak into the playoffs. But the Packers refused to answer the Giants' save-our-season prayers, overcoming a scoreless first half to clinch the NFC's final wild-card spot with a 10-3 victory over their arch-rivals in front of 70,833 happy cheesehead fans at frigid Lambeau Field. The Packers will visit the Eagles on Sunday.
SAY CHEESE: Donald Lee enjoys a traditional Lambeau Leap after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the Packers' playoff-clinching 10-3 win over the Bears in Green Bay yesterday.
AP
SAY CHEESE: Donald Lee enjoys a traditional Lambeau Leap after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the Packers' playoff-clinching 10-3 win over the Bears in Green Bay yesterday.

"Of course, they would've loved to knock us out," Packers cornerback Charles Woodson said, "but here we are still standing."

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The Bears, having already clinched the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs, had little incentive to risk injury to their key players. But tight end Greg Olsen said the Bears still considered it "just like a normal game for us." And Woodson figured the same.

"We knew what it was going to be," Woodson said. "It's a rivalry game. We knew they weren't going to pull their guys. They want to beat the Packers and the Packers want to beat the Bears."

The Giants can thank the Bears for at least trying. Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher and Co. played all four quarters in the NFL's oldest rivalry. Urlacher insisted that would have been the case even if it weren't the Packers on the slate.

No rest for the Bears. But no help for the Giants.

"We've got a bye week coming up," Bears wideout Devin Hester said. "That would have been three whole weeks of not playing."

Added Olsen, "This wasn't a third preseason game where you hope to have a good couple series and come out. That wasn't the mindset of anybody. We came in here prepared to play well and win, and we didn't play well. And that's why we didn't win."

Trailing 3-0 at halftime, the Packers made a slew of big plays late to punch their playoff tickets. Early in the fourth, Aaron Rodgers found top receiver Greg Jennings for a 46-yard bomb down to the Chicago 1. On the next play, Rodgers found tight end Donald Lee for the go-ahead touchdown with 12:42 to go, prompting Lee to celebrate with the famed Lambeau Leap and putting the Giants' postseason hopes on life support.

Charles Peprah picked off Cutler in the end zone to set up Mason Crosby's 23-yard field goal in the third.

"There were definitely some nerves at halftime," Rodgers said. "There wasn't a whole lot said as far as rah-rah or anything. It was just, 'Hey, let's play better. Let's execute better.' "

The Bears had one final chance to rescue the Giants when they took over at their 2-yard line with 4:49 to go. Cutler moved his team to the Packers 32, but he was picked off by Nick Collins with 20 seconds left to seal it.

Bears coach Lovie Smith insisted he never thought about taking Cutler out.

"Why would we do that?" he asked. "There's a game on the line. We're trying to win a football game."

They tried. They just couldn't.