GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Bears have been brutal to begin games this season, and that trend followed them all the way to the end.
They opened Sunday against the Packers with a three-and-out and a punt, and that was the 11th time in 17 games they started that way. In 17 opening drives, the Bears managed just two field goals, one against the Texans in Week 2 and one against the Packers in Week 11, and allowed their opponent to score first 15 of 17 times.
The Bears are one of three teams that haven't scored a touchdown on their opening drive this season.
This one was particularly ugly. Starting at their own 30, the Bears’ first play was a high snap from center Coleman Shelton that went through quarterback Caleb Williams’ hands, and Williams was sacked for a seven-yard loss. It was his league-high 68th sack of the season.
Williams compounded it with a pass to tight end Cole Kmet for minus-four yards on second down and managed just a two-yard completion to running back Roschon Johnson on third. The Bears punted on fourth-and-19 from their own 21-yard line.
They did manage to score first, however, with a trick play on special teams. The Bears put wide receiver DJ Moore in at punt returner as a decoy, and cornerback Josh Blackwell returned the punt 94 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
The only other time this season the Bears started with a lead was when they went up 7-0 against the Vikings in Week 12, only for Minnesota to tie the game one minute later.
