You play until the clock hits zero. That's the mantra Ben Johnson instilled in his team on Saturday night, with the Chicago Bears pulling off a comeback for the ages in a 22-16 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers. The win keeps Chicago atop the NFC North and puts the Bears in the driver's seat heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Initially, it looked like Green Bay was about to ice the game after making it a two-possession contest with roughly five minutes remaining in regulation, but that's when the Bears stormed back. The offense found a rhythm and connected on a field goal just as the two-minute warning hit. Chicago then converted an onside kick, which led to Caleb Williams marching the offense down the field and eventually connecting with Jahdae Walker for a 15-yard game-tying touchdown to force overtime.
In the extra period, Green Bay took the opening possession but stalled out on a botched fourth-down snap exchange between the center and quarterback Malik Willis, who came in in relief of Jordan Love after he suffered a concussion in the first half. The miscue turned the ball over on downs, and it took just three plays before Williams uncorked a 46-yard game-winning touchdown pass to DJ Moore to complete Chicago's remarkable comeback.
Williams completed 19 of his 34 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Meanwhile, Willis completed nine of his 11 throws for 121 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
From here, the Bears will finish the regular season with a road matchup against the San Francisco 49ers before returning to Soldier Field to host the Detroit Lions. As for the Packers, they'll head back to Lambeau Field to host the Baltimore Ravens next week before closing the regular season in Minnesota against the Vikings.
For more on how this game unfolded, check out our takeaways below.
For most of the game, the Bears couldn't find any consistency on offense. They moved the chains on just two of their 11 third-down opportunities, so when the deficit grew to 10 points with about five minutes left in regulation, it felt like they were headed for another drop down the standings. But then a switch flipped.
First, they moved down the field to set up a field goal that cut the deficit to a touchdown. Even then, valuable time came off the clock as they made it a one-score game. That ultimately didn't matter, largely thanks to Cairo Santos pulling off the onside kick. The ball bounced right to Packers receiver Romeo Doubs, but the veteran bobbled the recovery, opening the door for Chicago.
Coming into Week 16, onside kicks had just an 8.5% success rate this season, with only four recoveries on 47 attempts. That rare successful onside kick set up Williams' fadeaway, game-tying touchdown to Walker to force overtime, before he completed the comeback with a deep touchdown pass to Moore in the extra period.
The Bears became just the fourth team since 2000 to win a game after trailing by 10 or more points with under three minutes remaining in regulation against an opponent that entered the game at least five games above .500.
The Packers quarterback took a hard hit from Bears defensive lineman Austin Booker, who was penalized for roughing the passer. Love stayed down on the field before eventually making his way to the sideline and into the blue medical tent. He later emerged with a trainer and walked to the locker room without his helmet for further evaluation. Love was initially listed as questionable to return, but was downgraded to out as the second half began after the team revealed he had suffered a concussion.
While Malik Willis played well in his absence, not having their franchise quarterback under center for the entire second half of such a high-leverage game was far from ideal. Now, questions surround Love's availability going forward as Green Bay clings to a wild-card spot. Love has missed only two games in his career due to injury, as he was sidelined in Weeks 2 and 3 of the 2024 season because of a knee injury.
As noted above, Willis played well after coming in under duress for the injured Love. The veteran led the offense on three scoring drives, including one in the third quarter when he connected with Romeo Doubs on a 33-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 10 points.
While Willis played well enough to put Green Bay in position to win in regulation, he stumbled in overtime. After losing the coin toss, the Packers opened the extra period and drove to the Chicago 36-yard line. Facing fourth-and-1, Matt LaFleur kept the offense on the field, but disaster struck on the most important play of the game. Willis fumbled the snap, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Certainly, the loss isn't entirely on Willis' shoulders, but the botched play couldn't have come at a worse time.
If there's one reason the Packers find themselves in a deeper hole in the NFC North race, it's their inability to score touchdowns in the red zone. On the night, Green Bay failed to reach the end zone on all five of its trips inside the 20-yard line. The most damning missed opportunity came early in the second half, when the Packers drove 62 yards to the Chicago 3-yard line.
On first-and-goal, Josh Jacobs had the ball ripped from his arms by Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright, and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds recovered the fumble.
Had Green Bay been more efficient in that key area of the field, it likely would have built too large a lead for Chicago's late rally to matter. Instead, the Packers found themselves on the losing end in part because they failed to cash in for touchdowns when they got within spitting distance of the end zone.
Meanwhile, the turnover was another example of how valuable Wright has been for Chicago. Per CBS Sports Research, he is the only player in the NFL this season with at least five interceptions and two forced fumbles, and just the fourth Bear to accomplish the feat in a single season.
At this point, the Bears will be big fans of the Steelers on Sunday, as they can clinch a playoff berth with a loss or tie by the Lions. Chicago currently holds a 1.5-game lead in the NFC North with two games remaining, and its 11-4 record is good for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Meanwhile, Green Bay drops to 9-5-1 on the season and sits as the No. 7 seed. The Lions (8-6) are the next team behind them in the standings, but the Packers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, giving them some cushion even after the loss.
The Chicago Bears have secured a key victory in their pursuit of the NFC North title. The dagger comes with a game-winning touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to D.J. Moore.
A botched snap on fourth down turns into a disaster for Green Bay. They turn the ball over on down and now all Chicago needs is a field goal to win it and finish off the comeback.
A much-needed gain for the Packers with Willis throwing a perfect ball to Jayden Reed to get Green Bay in Bears territory.
Remarkably, we're heading overtime. Chicago with a miraculous comeback to this point. Let's see if Ben Johnson and Co. can finish it off.
One of the more remarkable touchdowns you'll see! Caleb Williams throws a fadeaway, and Walker was wide open in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point ties the games at 16 apiece.
Drama in the Windy City! After horrible clock management leading up to the two-minute warning, the Bears successfully recovered the onside kick. Romero Doubs bobbled the balls, and Chicago dove all over it.
Chicago took a little too long to get the field goal unit onto the field, but is now within a score after Santos hit the 43-yard field goal. It'll be interesting to see if they try for an onside kick here.
Green Bay has struggled deep in Chicago territory tonight, but they've added a key field goal. After Brandon McManus connected on a 26-yarder, it's back to a two-score lead with just over five minutes to play.
The Bears are within a score of the Packers thanks to Cairo Santos defying the elements and connecting on a 51-yard field goal. Chicago now trails, 13-6.
When we get to the head coach hiring cycle, expect Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to be a strong candidate this go around. If/when he gets hired, we can point to this game as one of the marquee moments for his résumé. Without Micah Parsons, he has this unit dialed in.
In a low-scoring game like this, we may have just seen a dagger from the Packers. Malik Willis throws a perfectly placed ball to Romeo Doubs for a 33-yard touchdown. It's a 13-3 lead for Green Bay. Doubs is now up to five catches for 84 yards and that score.
The Chicago defense is stepping up in a big way. When it seemed like Green Bay was about to add to its lead, Nahshon Wright ripped the ball out of Josh Jacobs' hands on a first-and-goal carry from the 4-yard line. Tremaine Edmunds recovered the loose ball, and the Bears gained possession and, more importantly, eliminated the scoring opportunity.
On a windy night in Chicago, Cairo Santos wisely played the elements, angling his kick to the left, and the wind carried it perfectly down the middle to connect on a 46-yard field goal. The Bears cut the deficit in half.
Kyle Monangai has been quite the find for the Bears this season. The rookie back hauled in a pass from Caleb Williams and flipped the field. Chicago is threatening early in this third quarter.
The big story in the upcoming second half will be the status of Jordan Love, who is questionable as he's evaluated for a concussion. The Bears will get the opening kickoff, so they can get back in this in a hurry.
Check out more about the injury in our story below:
The Packers clearly have confidence in Willis, keeping the offense on the field on fourth down in Bears territory. He repays them by moving the chains.
The Green Bay Packers QB is out of the blue medical tent, but walking with a trainer to the locker room. He did not have his helmet with him, which is an indication that he needs further evaluation for a possible concussion.
The broadcast showed Jordan Love jogging off and heading into the blue medical tent. Good news that he was able to jog off, but Malik Willis is now in at quarterback.
Jordan Love is being looked at by trainers after Austin Booker came crashing in and delivered a massive hit. He was flagged for roughing the passer, but far more concern for Love than field position for Green Bay.
This time around, Matt LaFleur put his field goal unit out there and Brandon McManus netted the 26-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 3-0 lead. It comes after another stalled-out effort from the offense after getting as far as the Chicago 5-yard line.
The Packers will begin the second quarter on the doorstep of the red zone, in part, thanks to Romeo Doubs pulling off this remarkable sideline catch.
In a similar fashion to Green Bay, the Bears were faced with a fourth-and-1 inside the Packers 10-yard line. Like LaFleur, Ben Johnson kept his offense on the field, and it ended up in disaster. A bad snap sent over Kyle Monangai's head and resulted in nearly a 20-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
After being looked at, D.J. Moore has returned. He missed just one play and immediately picked up 12 yards on a rushing attempt. Big sigh of relief for Chicago.
D.J. Moore has walked off the field after getting hit hard on that scramble by Caleb Williams. He's being looked at on the sideline, but with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III already out, this could make Chicago's pass-catching group even thinner.
Instead of opting for the field goal to take an early 3-0 lead, Matt LaFleur kept his offense on the field on a fourth-and-1 situation from the Chicago 7-yard line. Jordan Love's end zone throw to Christian Watson fell incomplete, giving the Bears a pivotal stop on the opening possession. Would've taken the points this early.
Chicago may have been a bit too amped up on the opening kickoff. They were penalized for unnecessary roughness, which starts the Packers off nearly at midfield.
