World Champs sweep the Bears
In the longest rivalry in NFL history, the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears squared off for the second time in 1997. Just like the Monday Night opener, the World Champions took it to their arch-rival as the Packers beat the Bears 31-19 in front of 62,212 fans at Soldier Field.
The Bears struck first on the second play from scrimmage. QB Eric Kramer connected with Ricky Proehl and he raced 83 yards for the game’s first score. Brett Favre and the Packers couldn’t be stopped though. They answered the Bears’ TD with a TD of their own when Favre hit Dorsey Levens for a 2-yd pass. The Packers were never really challenged after that.
Levens dominated the day. He ran through the Bears’ defense rushing for 101 yards and 2 TDs. He also caught five passes for 44 yards and the score. Antonio Freeman caught 8 passes for 107 yards and a TD.
The Packers and Bears both go into their bye weeks. The Packers will come off their bye and have a Super Bowl rematch with the New England Patriots at Foxboro. The (1-6) Bears will face another struggling team as they travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins.