For the first time since Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone a month ago, the Packers looked like a football team with a plan on Sunday in Chicago, running the ball, rushing the passer and snapping their three-game losing streak with a 23-16 victory over the Bears.

Quarterback Brett Hundley, who completed 18 of 25 passes for 212 yards without a turnover in his third career start, threw a 17-yard touchdown to Davante Adams to make it 23-13 with 5:29 remaining, and the Packers hung on to beat the Bears for the eighth time in their last nine matchups.

The win was Green Bay's first since a narrow victory at Dallas on Oct. 8. A week later, Rodgers got driven to the turf by the Vikings' Anthony Barr in a loss at Minnesota and the Packers haven't been the same since then.

Ty Montgomery ran for a 37-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but sat out the second half because of a rib injury. That left the Packers without their top two running backs, after Aaron Jones hurt his knee in the first quarter.

The Bears had a replay challenge backfire in a big way as they were threatening to score in the second quarter. And the offense stalled after Mason Crosby missed a 35-yard field with just over a minute left, which gave Chicago one final chance.

The Packers led 10-3 in the second quarter after Montgomery went untouched through the line for his big TD run. The Bears were then driving deep in Green Bay territory when their replay challenge near the goal line backfired in a huge way.

Benny Cunningham was ruled out at the 2 after turning a short pass into a 23-yard gain. The Bears challenged the spot. Replay officials ruled he didn't have control when he hit the pylon, and with the ball rolling out of bounds in the end zone, Green Bay took over at the 20.

The Bears didn't lose a timeout, since the call was overturned, though that's a loss they would have gladly taken. Coach John Fox screamed at line judge Bart Longson after the ruling and the crowd continued to boo as the Packers took possession.

The Packers' ground game, despite losing its top two rushers, was pivotal.

"The ability to run the football at the most critical times of the game I thought was a tribute to our running backs," McCarthy said. "I thought Jamaal had a heck of a day and I thought Brett Hundley played his best game of the year. Just handling the different situations, particularly the high pressure there in the fourth quarter. We got a big play from Davante when we needed it."

In all, the Packers ran it a season-high 37 times (nine more attempts than their previous season high) for 160 yards.

"I guess he was third string but it speaks a lot to him and his preparation," left tackle David Bakhtiari said. "He was able to come in and knew what to do. Mentally he was ready and physically he was ready. That’s something that you want to see. Moving forward, we’ll see what’s up with our backs. Terrible to see two of them go down. He’s got the film that he can lower his pad level and get after some defensive players, so that’s going to be nice."

Let’s take a look back at the Packers’ 23-16 victory over the Bears on Sunday.

Who starred

Hundley played his best game as a pro, but it was Davante Adams who made him look like a legitimate NFL starting quarterback in Chicago, with the wide receiver catching five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, including a 42-yarder. 

Adams was responsible for two of the game’s biggest plays. Before he pulled in the remarkable one-handed catch to convert on third-and-10 late, he looked in a perfect 19-yard touchdown pass from Hundley with 5 minutes, 37 seconds left. Both plays were critical, as the touchdown pass helped extend the Packers’ lead to two scores, while the lengthy sideline reception helped Green Bay shut the door on any hopes of a Chicago comeback.

"You guys don't even understand the effect that it has on the rest of the group," said Adams. "A play like that, I think about that in the fourth quarter when I say Cobb made a play and he sparked us. I needed to do the same thing to make sure we sew up this game. You've just got to make sure that everybody is holding themselves accountable and doing what they've got to do to make a play."

McCarthy score

(Mike McCarthy isn't renowned for his play-calling, having fired and then rehired himself for that role in the past, but he does still call the plays. Here we rate his coaching performance, on a score from one to 10 McCarthy heads.)

The Packers badly needed a win, and McCarthy delivered the right preparation and game plan to defeat an inferior but hungry Bears team on Sunday.

The Packers leaned on their running game, despite injuries, controlling the clock and outgaining the Bears, winning time of possession, 33:53 to 26:07, and total yardage, 342 to 323.

"It definitely feels good to win," McCarthy said. "It’s been a couple weeks. Anytime you win a division game it’s important, anytime you beat the Bears it’s important, and anytime you can win at Soldier Field, that’s a chunk of confidence you can take with you."

Good quote

"That’s what you expect to do, especially when a team is so one-dimensional, and force them at times to take shots. You have to take advantage of that. I thought we did a great job. I thought guys were really flying around and creating a lot of pressure, knifing in there and being disruptive overall, not only in the run game but the pass rush as well." – Clay Matthews, who finished with a tackle for loss, pass deflection and a quarterback hit.

Best photo

Encouraging thing

The Packers would have taken a win any way they could have gotten it Sunday, but to get one with Hundley playing the way he did in the fourth quarter meant even more. Hundley was absolutely clutch when it mattered most at Soldier Field. He delivered the type of crunch-time performance that could go a long way as the Packers try to climb back in the NFC North race.

"He kept us going steady and never blinked," said McCarthy. "He never told me to get out of anything or stay away from this or that. He took a step today."

Said Hundley, "We just have to keep this momentum going. We have to ride the wave. I think it gives us a boost of confidence for sure, especially getting the first one under us, but every week is a new week. I’ll enjoy this for the next couple hours, but once we get back and get settled down and tomorrow hits, we’ve got another game to win."

Alarming thing

The Packers just can’t seem to get through a week without a couple of major injuries.

On Sunday, starting running back Aaron Jones went down with a knee injury in the first quarter, and Ty Montgomery reinjured his ribs in the second quarter. Green Bay then leaned on rookie Jamaal Williams, who carried 20 times for 67 yards, including several tough runs in short-yardage situations.

But the injuries to Jones and Montgomery are concerning for their expected severity, especially for an offense that needs all the non-quarterbacking help it can get.

Looking ahead

Now above .500 again at 5-4 and tied for second place in the NFC North, the Packers begin a stretch of five straight games against non-divisional opponents, starting with Baltimore back at Lambeau Field (noon on CBS).

Following the Ravens game, Green Bay travels to Pittsburgh, hosts Tampa Bay, then plays at Cleveland and Carolina, before finishing its regular season against Minnesota and Detroit.