Forget winners and losers. It's impossible to have losers when the Green Bay Packers hand the Chicago Bears a heartbreaking loss, deliver some humble pie to Ben Johnson, and walk away in first place in the NFC North.
Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But all that matters is winning, and the Packers found a way to blunt the Bears' late rally and hold on for a crucial, crucial victory. It preserves Green Bay's undefeated run against divisional opponents, ends Chicago's ugly five-game winning streak, and hands the Packers an advantage in the North, at least for now.
So, we'll scrap the losers. Today, we celebrate the Packers' biggest winners from Week 14.
Packers' biggest winners in crucial win over Bears in Week 14
Winner: Matt LaFleur
Matt LaFleur is 1-0 against Ben Johnson. I repeat: Matt LaFleur is 1-0 against Ben Johnson.
Shout it from the rooftops so even Mr. I Love Beating Matt LaFleur can hear it. That felt good. Just imagine how satisfying that win must feel for LaFleur, who had to wait almost an entire year to get revenge on Johnson for his Michael Scott-level jab at him in January.
LaFleur called a great game. He knows how to win in December, and this was as big a victory as they come.
It's only a short-term celebration, though, as the challenge reaches another level at Soldier Field in two weeks. Imagine how fun a series sweep over the Bears would feel?
Winner: Jordan Love
Jordan Love threw one of his worst passes of the season on the opening possession, badly missing Matthew Golden for an ugly interception, but he responded perfectly.
Love has a short memory when it comes to turnovers, and he thrived inside a frozen Lambeau Field, completing 17 of 25 passes for 234 yards, three touchdowns, and the one pick, good for a 120.7 rating. That's seven touchdowns to one interception since Toyotathon started, for those of you counting at home.
Even after throwing an interception, Love still earned an elite PFF passing grade of 85.5, highlighting just how good he was outside of that play. It takes his season tally to 22 touchdowns and four picks.
Winner: Christian Watson
We're having to update this stat on a weekly basis: When Christian Watson catches at least four passes from Jordan Love, the Packers are 9-1. When he has fewer, they are 10-11.
Watson is the Packers' best wide receiver and has been unstoppable since returning from a torn ACL. LaFleur has quickly learned that lesson, and it sure looks like Love has found his WR1. Watson caught another four passes on Sunday for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
Over the past four weeks, he's hauled in 17 passes for 264 yards and five touchdowns.
Winner: Keisean Nixon
Credit to Keisean Nixon. He had a few tough moments in the first half, getting called for two costly penalties for a combined 20 yards on the same drive. Admittedly, the second one, an unnecessary roughness, looked like an awful decision as both players were shoving each other. LaFleur went after the refs, then Nixon, and briefly benched him.
But talk about a response. Nixon made an incredible play to intercept a potential touchdown and ice the game. It's impossible to know without asking Nixon, but it sure looked like he recognized the call and abandoned his assignment to go make a play. Had he not done that, it's an easy touchdown, and Chicago may have gone for a 2-point conversion to win the game.
According to PFF, Nixon allowed only two completions on five targets for 11 yards, one touchdown, and one (game-winning) interception.