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There have been a lot of incredible comebacks in the NFL and football fans were treated to another one in the wild card round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs. The Chicago Bears were down 21-3 against the Green Bay Packers at halftime and rallied from an 18-point deficit to advance to the divisional round.

It seemed like the Packers were going to run away with it and defeat their divisional opponents on the road, up 21-6 through three quarters, but as Bears quarterback Caleb Williams reminded everyone after the victory, games are 60 minutes.

The Bears were prepared to play hard until the final whistle, using another historic comeback as a reminder that games aren't over until the clock says 0:00. Bears coach Ben Johnson told reporters after the playoff win that during training camp he showed his players the New England Patriots' 25-point Super Bowl comeback over the Atlanta Falcons. He used it as a reminder to not give in, even with a large deficit.

The Bears have two players on their current roster that were part of Super Bowl LI nine years ago. Guard Joe Thuney was on the Patriots and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was on the Falcons. Back in 2017, the Patriots flipped a 28-3 deficit into a 34-28 overtime victory. Both players were asked to share their experiences from the game and Johnson believes the team found value in their stories.

"It was just great to get perspective from both of those players of how that game went down. I think it's just a good lesson to be learned that its 28-3 in the middle of the third quarter and yet the game is still being played and there's a lot of time left," Johnson said on Saturday.

"That was my message to the group," Johnson continued. "Was just reminding them that this has been done before. And rather than saying 'woe is me' and 'oh, crap, we're in a hole,' it's more of an opportunity for us to turn this thing around into a game that we'll never forget. And that's what they did."

The message clearly worked, because Chicago outscored Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth quarter to win their first playoff game in 15 years.

The comebacks by the Patriots and Bears do have one thing in common: Matt LaFleur was on the losing sideline in both games. LaFleur was a quarterbacks coach for the 2025 Falcons, and he, of course, is the current Packers coach. LaFleur is now part of the largest blown lead in Falcons history and the largest blown lead in Packers postseason history.

The 2026 season is set to be the final year of LaFleur's current deal and the team will benefit by making a decision on his future sooner than later.