GREEN BAY, Wis. - With an aggressive defense and solid running game, the Chicago Bears already were shaping up as a contender. Now they've discovered the forward pass.

Starting his first game of the season, quarterback Rex Grossman added a new dimension to the Bears' offense as Chicago clinched the NFC North title and a first-round playoff bye with a 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

It wasn't easy. Grossman watched helplessly as Brett Favre tried to rally the Packers one more time. Favre's 56-yard completion to Donald Driver put the Packers at the Bears 35 with less than a minute remaining, but a spike and consecutive sacks left him only with time for a fourth-down heave that was picked off by Chris Harris as time expired.