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.
Onside kick sparks Chicago’s remarkable comeback
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.
Jordan Love exits early with a concussion
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.
Malik Willis plays well, but falters in OT
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.
Packers’ red zone issues loom large
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.
Playoff implications
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.