Up until the final few minutes of game action, Saturday night’s Bears-Packers game looked every bit as frustrating as the previous few decades worth of the NFL’s oldest rivalry.
The Bears offense looked sluggish and inept, while the Packers offense seemed to exploit the Bears defense, even when backup quarterback Malik Willis entered the game for the concussed Jordan Love.
In the end, the Cardiac Bears did what they’ve done best this year: mount a late, fourth-quarter comeback to send the game into overtime and win in dramatic fashion, 22-16.
The Bears didn’t just beat the Green Bay Packers — they exorcised decades worth of demons.
When Love went out early in the game, it appeared that things were looking up for the Bears. After all, how often do backup quarterbacks come into the middle of a game and save their teams?
But the Bears defense, already a struggling unit to begin with, had no answers for the slippery Willis. The backup rushed 10 times for 44 yards and also had an efficient 9-of-11 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown.
It was maddening.
Trailing 16-6 with 5 minutes left in the game, the Bears certainly weren’t “out of it,” but with an inept offensive output to that point, things looked bleak.
Caleb Williams led an 11-play, 43-yard drive that chewed up 3 minutes of game clock and only resulted in a field goal, bringing the score to 16-9.
When you add to the fact that the field goal unit took forever to get on the field and they failed to kick the ball before the 2-minute warning to preserve a time stoppage, it was all the more frustrating.
Because of that blunder, the Bears needed to attempt the low-percentage onside kick attempt. And wouldn’t you know — they recovered.
Down by a touchdown with 2 minutes to go, Williams led another long drive, this one down to the 6-yard line, bringing up fourth down and four with 24 seconds remaining. That’s when the Packers sent an all out blitz but Williams found rookie Jahdae Walker in the back corner of the end zone for the game-tying touchdown.
In overtime, the Packers got the ball first and drove into field goal range — or at the fringes of it — down to the Bears’ 36-yard line. Instead of attempting the long field goal, they chose to go for it on fourth down and Willis fumbled the snap, causing the turnover on downs.
Four plays later, Williams went deep down field on a post to D.J. Moore, who caught the ball in the end zone with a defender draped on him.
It was a Christmas miracle! ‘Tis the season!
With this 22-16 victory, the Bears (11-4) have moved 1.5 games ahead of the Packers (9-5-1) in the NFC North. They have officially punched their ticket to the playoffs and are now just one win away from their first division title since 2018.
This wasn’t just a lucky break; it was a testament to the culture being built in Chicago. This truly is the result of “The Ben Johnson Effect.”
