{"id":508635,"date":"2026-01-11T13:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/508635\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T13:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:59:09","slug":"comeback-bears-caleb-williams-burn-packers-again-with-second-half-heroics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/508635\/","title":{"rendered":"Comeback Bears, Caleb Williams burn Packers again with second-half heroics"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dan Wiederer, Kevin Fishbain and Matt Schneidman<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was deja vu Saturday night as the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers again with a big, late comeback at Soldier Field, 31-27, to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Caleb Williams\u2019 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DJ Moore with 1:08 left in regulation completed a comeback from an 18-point halftime deficit. It was reminiscent of the teams\u2019 Week 16 matchup when the Bears erased a 16-6 fourth-quarter deficit to win in overtime \u2014 one in which Williams also connected with Moore for the winning score.<\/p>\n

The comeback win was especially fitting for the Bears \u2014 it\u2019s something they did a franchise-record six times in the regular season. Saturday\u2019s win was the largest comeback in Bears playoff history.<\/p>\n

The Bears will host either the No. 3 Eagles or the No. 5 Rams in the divisional round next week, depending on the outcome of Sunday\u2019s game between the Eagles and the No. 6 49ers.<\/p>\n

The Packers jumped to a 21-3 halftime lead Saturday, scoring three touchdowns on three attempts, all Jordan Love passes. Love finished 24-for-46 for 323 yards and four touchdowns.<\/p>\n

The second half was a different story, as the Bears defense cooled off Love, and Williams and the offense chipped away at the deficit. A D\u2019Andre Swift 5-yard touchdown run with 10:08 left in the fourth quarter cut the score to 21-16, setting up another nail-biting finish.<\/p>\n

Williams finished 24-for-48 for 361 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.<\/p>\n

The Packers answered when rookie receiver Matthew Golden, their top pick who hadn\u2019t scored a TD all season, broke multiple tackles for a score and a 27-16 lead with 6:36 left in regulation. Williams responded, leading a 10-play, 78-yard drive that culminated with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus and a 2-point conversion to rookie tight end Colston Loveland to make it 27-24 with 4:18 left.<\/p>\n

A missed 44-yard field goal attempt by Brandon McManus set the stage for the Bears\u2019 drive to take the lead. A final Packers drive ended with a Love incomplete pass in the end zone as time expired.<\/p>\n

Bears coach Ben Johnson\u2019s impressive first season in Chicago continued after winning the NFC North and earning the No. 2 seed at 11-6. Saturday\u2019s win was the Bears\u2019 first since a 2010 divisional round win.<\/p>\n

The seventh-seeded Packers limped into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak and without top players like the freshly minted first-team All-Pro<\/a> defensive end Micah Parsons, standout tight end Tucker Kraft and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, and failed to take advantage of the clean slate LaFleur said the playoffs offered.<\/p>\n

Of course, it happened this way<\/p>\n

This makes so little sense that it makes perfect sense, right? Of course, the Bears\u2019 first playoff victory in 15 years came this way, in this season, with a ridiculous second-half comeback against the rival Packers, thanks to Caleb Williams\u2019 late 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore.<\/p>\n

Times are changing in Chicago. Of course, the Bears were down 21-3 at halftime and left for dead with a defense that had been gutted before halftime. Little by little, they rallied. Big stops. Big plays. Big mistakes by Green Bay. It all set up one final drive with the Bears trailing 27-24 and less than three minutes remaining in regulation. So, of course, Williams took the Bears 66 yards in six plays and then ripped that TD throw to Moore with 1:43 to play. And, of course, the defense did enough to hold on, defending a final play pass into the end zone by Jordan Love. Ballgame.<\/p>\n

These are the 2025 Bears, carrying their magic act into 2026 and starting their playoff story like this, with this kind of wild rally in front of a delirious and deserving home crowd. It defies explanation. But at this point in this season, it makes all the sense in the world. \u2014 Dan Wiederer, Bears beat writer<\/p>\n

\n

Bears QB Caleb Williams: \u201cIt\u2019s no fluke. \u2026 It\u2019s been proven for us to be a great second-half team. \u2026 If the game comes down to the final two minutes, I believe in us.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/mFAadokzvf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) January 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Johnson beats LaFleur twice<\/p>\n

Ben Johnson got the last laugh. By this point, everyone knows what the Bears head coach said about Packers head coach Matt LaFleur at his introductory news conference in January \u2014 that he enjoyed beating LaFleur twice a year when he was with the Lions.<\/p>\n

It appeared that LaFleur would be the one shoving that quote in Johnson\u2019s face as the Packers led by 18 points at halftime, but Green Bay\u2019s offense, defense and special teams vanished in the second half as the Packers suffered an even worse collapse than in their loss here three weeks ago.<\/p>\n

With Packers first-year team president Ed Policy likely approaching a decision on LaFleur\u2019s future this offseason before the final year of his contract, LaFleur did himself no favors ahead of those conversations. \u2014 Matt Schneidman, Packers beat writer<\/p>\n

Bears adjust in second half<\/p>\n

The much-maligned Bears defense was understandably written off at halftime. The Packers scored at will and with ease to build a 21-3 halftime lead. And then in the second half, the defense forced four punts in a row. After giving up a touchdown, they had the Packers set up for a long field goal, which Brandon McManus missed into the wind.<\/p>\n

Love got them on several occasions, beating cornerbacks left and right, but with the clock on his side, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen put extra DBs on the field and it worked on the final few plays to stymie Love. The defense did all of this without recording a takeaway. They also got only one sack. But they limited the big plays after halftime, fed off the fans when the offense got the lead back and went from being a major reason for a possible early playoff exit to giving themselves another game next week \u2014 and knowing there\u2019s still a lot they can improve on. \u2014 Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer<\/p>\n

Total Packers collapse<\/p>\n

How did the\u00a0Packers offense go from unstoppable to anemic over a 12-minute halftime break? That might be a question LaFleur, Love and the entire unit will be asking themselves for quite some time. The\u00a0Packers scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives and reached field-goal range with limited time on their fourth in the first half.<\/p>\n

From there, barely anything, outside of a Matthew Golden touchdown that wasn\u2019t enough. Pass protection faltered, the run game stalled and Love couldn\u2019t find a rhythm through the air as Green Bay welcomed Chicago back into the game and the Bears once again took advantage to end their archrival\u2019s season in stunning fashion. \u2014 Schneidman<\/p>\n

Another special teams disaster<\/p>\n

It\u2019s little surprise that faulty postseason special teams cost the Packers again. McManus missed a 55-yarder at the first-half clock expired, missed a PAT that would\u2019ve put the Packers up 12 midway through the fourth quarter and missed a 44-yarder that would\u2019ve put them up six with about three minutes remaining. The Packers had seen their season end in two of the last three postseasons in part because of special teams disasters, and Saturday night was no different. \u2014 Schneidman<\/p>\n