Bears Win One for Payton --and Feel His Presence

The Chicago Bears were certain Walter Payton was watching, and they were certain he was proud.

Bryan Robinson blocked Ryan Longwell’s 28-yard field-goal attempt as time expired, and the Bears snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Green Bay Packers with a 14-13 victory at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

“I just got my hand on that leather, and it felt so good. . . . It’s for you, Walter,” said Robinson, who swatted away Longwell’s kick and gave the Bears their first victory at Lambeau since 1992.

The Bears were playing their first game since Payton, the league’s leading career rusher and the soul of Chicago football for 13 seasons, died Monday. Wearing football-shaped patches inscribed with Payton’s No. 34 on their uniforms, the Bears (4-5) ended a three-game losing streak, celebrating wildly on the field afterward.

In the 157th meeting between the NFL’s oldest rivals, Brett Favre drove the Packers 73 yards in the game’s last 3:19 to set up Longwell’s attempt. Favre started his 117th consecutive game, breaking Ron Jaworski’s record for consecutive starts by a quarterback.

Favre, who threw last-minute touchdown passes to win each of the Packers’ first three home games, directed a 14-play drive that put the ball on the Chicago 10 with seven seconds left.

But unlike the Packers’ strategy in their first three game-winning drives, Coach Ray Rhodes didn’t try to score a touchdown, instead positioning the ball for the field goal. After a low snap, Longwell got the kick off cleanly, but Robinson, the Bears’ starting defensive end, blocked it with one hand.

Third-string quarterback Jim Miller, who didn’t play a down in the previous two years and attempted only 22 passes this season, led the Bears to the victory after Cade McNown suffered a sprained right knee in the first quarter.

Miller was 16 for 29 for 142 yards with three interceptions. The Bears had 160 rushing yards.

The Packers (4-4) lost for the third time in four games.