2010 NFC Championship Game

The 2010 National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game was an American football game played between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears on January 23, 2011, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Even though the Bears–Packers rivalry is one of the longest and most storied rivalries in National Football League (NFL) history, the two teams had only ever met in the postseason once, in 1941. The Packers and Bears, who both play in the NFC North division, battled throughout the regular season for the division title. The Bears pulled away late in the season to secure the title and the second seed in the playoffs. The Packers secured a Wild Card berth and beat the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons to advance to the NFC Championship Game. The Bears had a first-round bye before beating the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round. With their higher seeding, the Bears hosted the Packers at Soldier Field for the NFC Championship Game.

Although the Packers took an early 14–0 lead, the game became a defensive struggle, with each team combining for 17 punts and five interceptions. After Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler was injured, back-up Todd Collins was put in but was not effective. The Bears then put in Caleb Hanie, their third-string quarterback, who led the offense on a touchdown drive to bring the score to 14–7. After a Packers punt, Hanie threw a short pass that was intercepted by B. J. Raji, who returned it for a touchdown. Hanie led another touchdown drive and the Bears defense forced another punt by the Packers, giving them an opportunity to score a touchdown to tie or take the lead late in the fourth quarter. However, Hanie threw a second interception, this time to Sam Shields, that effectively ended the game. The Packers advanced to Super Bowl XLV, where they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to secure their 13th championship in team history.