The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Green Bay Packers' Playoff ...

Aaron Jones and the Green Bay Packers are headed to the playoffs.

It’s a perfect 10.

And with it comes a trip to the postseason.

The 208th meeting between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears had everything you could want.

Intensity. Drama. Enormous stakes.

When the Packers prevailed, though, and left Lambeau Field with a 17-9 win, they also clinched a playoff berth few believed was possible four months ago.

Green Bay improved to 9-8, clinched a playoff berth and will travel to either Dallas or Detroit for a wildcard game next weekend.

To get there, the Packers had to beat their oldest rival. Not only did Green Bay accomplish that, it continued its remarkable, three-decade domination of the Bears.

The Packers won their 10th straight game against Chicago, which ties the longest winning streak in this rivalry that started more than a century ago. Green Bay also improved to 50-15 against the Bears since the start of the 1992 season and now leads this historic series 107-95-6.

In the process, Matt LaFleur improved to 10-0 against the Bears during his five years as Green Bay’s head coach.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly from the Packers’ enormous win:

JORDAN LOVE: What a remarkable first season Love just completed as Green Bay’s starter.

Love was brilliant again Sunday night, completing 27-of-32 passes for 316 yards. He also threw two touchdowns, no interceptions and had a passer rating of 128.6.

Love finished his first season as Green Bay’s starter with 32 touchdown passes, which ranked second in the NFL. He also threw for 4,159 yards, just 11 interceptions and finished the year with a 96.1 passer rating.

AARON JONES: The Packers are simply a different team with Jones on the field.

Jones carried 22 times for 111 yards, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. That marked the third straight week Jones eclipsed 100 yards — and the Packers were 3-0 in those contests.

DONTAYVION WICKS: The Packers were without speedy Christian Watson. Steady Romeo Doubs left after the first series with a chest injury.

As has been the case all year, though, someone stepped up and this time it was Dontayvion Wicks.

On the Packers’ second series, Wicks had a 10-yard touchdown reception that gave the Packers a 7-3 lead. Then on Green Bay’s opening possession of the second half, Wicks had a 12-yard score in which he ran an inside slant, hauled in a pass at the 3, then ran through Chicago’s Kyler Gordon and Eddie Jackson on his way to the endzone.

Wicks, a rookie fifth round draft pick, finished the year third on the team in receptions (28), yards (520) and touchdown catches (four).

DYNAMIC DRIVE: Green Bay put together an 11-play, 92-yard touchdown drive early in the second quarter to take a 7-3 lead. Love hit Dontayvion Wicks with a 10-yard touchdown pass that capped Green Bay’s longest march of the year,

Along the way, Love found Jayden Reed for 32 yards, Love fired a 10-yard laser to Bo Melton on third-and-5, and Aaron Jones ripped off a 12-yard run on a terrific block from right tackle Zach Tom.

The Packers reached the Bears’ 10-yard line, where on third-and-1, Wicks came left to right, Green Bay’s offensive line excelled, and Love found the rookie wideout for a go-ahead TD. The Packers never trailed again.

RIDICULOUS ROOKIE: Green Bay’s rookie second round draft pick Jayden Reed continued his magnificent season with a four catch, 112-yard night.

Reed finished the regular season with a new franchise record of 64 receptions. Reed led the team in both catches and yards 783 and tied for the team lead with eight touchdown receptions.

Reed also had a 59-yard reception early in the fourth quarter that set up a field goal that gave Green Bay a 17-9 lead.

THIS AND THAT: Green Bay picked up four first downs and ran out the final 6:08 of the game. … Lukas Van Ness had a sack and Karl Brooks tackled running back Khalil Herbert for a 3-yard loss on a screen pass to slow the Bears’ opening drive. Chicago settled for a 50-yard field goal from Cairo Santos. … Rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine made a sensational pass break up early in the fourth quarter to kill a Chicago drive and force a Bears’ field goal. … Brooks had a huge sack late in the game that killed Chicago’s final opportunity.

ANDERS CARLSON: It’s been a rocky year for Green Bay’s rookie kicker.

Carlson missed his first field goal try — a 41-yarder — and has now missed at least one kick in eight of the last 10 games.

Carlson finished his first regular season 27-of-33 on field goals (81.8%) and 34-of-39 on extra points (87.2%).

Despite Carlson’s struggles, special teams coach Rich Bisaccia believes his future in bright.

“I think we’re excited about the direction he’s going in,” Bisaccia said. “We think he’s improving all the time. I don’t know what’s really going on or kept up with much of the other kickers unless we’re playing against them. We’d love to clean up the PATs, we’d love to keep getting a little bit more consistent in everything we do, but I think we’re pleased with the direction he’s going at this point.”

BUTTER FINGERS: The Packers have run Jordan Love less than many expected this season. In fact, through the first 16 games, Love had 47 carries for 248 yards.

Maybe this is why: late in the third quarter, the Packers led 14-6 and had a third-and-2 at midfield. Love escaped the pocket and ran for the first down, but cornerback Tyrique Stevenson forced a fumble that Jaquan Brisker recovered.

That was Love’s ninth fumble of the year. Fortunately for the Packers, they only lost three of those.

THIS AND THAT: Matt LaFleur challenged a fourth quarter reception to D.J. Moore and lost. … Chicago had a fourth-and-5 from the Packers’ 43 midway through the fourth quarter, but Green Bay outside linebacker Rashan Gary jumped off sides. … Chicago’s Velus Jones averaged 28.3 yards on his four kickoff returns.

CLOCK MANAGEMENT: Matt LaFleur’s clock management at the end of the first half was a colossal disaster and cost the Packers a chance to try a field goal.

First, Green Bay defensive end Kenny Clark sacked Bears quarterback Justin Fields with 1:55 left on a third-and-6 play. Instead of calling timeout before Chicago’s field goal attempt, LaFleur let the clock run.

Chicago’s Cairo Santos drilled a 39-yard field goal with 1:17 left in the half — so LaFleur’s decision to bypass the timeout cost his team roughly 35 seconds.

The Packers then drove to the Bears’ 22-yard line with 11 seconds left. On second-and-10, Love fired a short pass in the right flat to Dontayvion Wicks, but the Packers’ wideout was tackled inbounds.

Green Bay raced to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball and give Carlson a field goal opportunity. But time expired before Love received the snap and the half ended in dreadful fashion for LaFleur & Co.