Soldier Field (Chicago) — The only other time the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears had played on a Saturday during the oldest rivalry in NFL history, Vince Lombardi and George Halas patrolled the sidelines. Perhaps fittingly then, on a raw and blustery night at Soldier Field this past Saturday, the 212th all-time meeting between these historic teams was an old-school brawl featuring staunch defense and wind-defying field goals.
Until, that is, the Bears defied all odds by scoring 10 points in the final two minutes of regulation. Then, in overtime, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, “The Iceman” as he’s becoming known in Chicago, connected with receiver DJ Moore on a breathtaking 46-yard touchdown pass to walk off one of the most significant wins in franchise history.
Let’s take a look back at Chicago’s stunning 22-16 comeback victory in photos.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
In 24 games against the Packers, Bears Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton ran for 2,484 yards, an NFL record for rushing yards against a single team. More recently, however, Bears fans have had little to cheer about against Green Bay, including at Soldier Field, where Payton’s statue stands sentry.
Entering Saturday’s game, the Packers had won 26 of the past 31 meetings in Chicago, including 14 of the last 15. So much for home-field advantage.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
But that didn’t dampen the spirit of the Bears’ faithful. On the final Saturday before Christmas, the tailgating started as soon as the stadium lots opened in mid-afternoon, and with the Bears having one of their best seasons in decades, fans were ready to party like it’s 1985.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
How many sausages will fit on a mini-grill? Apparently, it depends on how many ya got. Just like on the gridiron, it’s all about the angles.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
What could be better on a cold day than a cauldron of Beer Cheese Soup? Actually, based on the ingredients, it sounds like a great way to bring Bears and Packers fans together. Or maybe not.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Inside the stadium, Bears backup running back Travis Homer decided to do his warm-up shirtless. After all, the pregame temperature was about 30 degrees warmer than the previous Sunday, when the Bears and Cleveland Browns played in single-digit weather.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
With a stiff lakefront crosswind, Packers coach Matt LaFleur checked in pregame with kicker Brandon McManus to see what field-goal distances might be possible from each side of the field. Despite wind gusts near 40 mph during the game, McManus hit three field goals under 30 yards and an extra point to account for 10 of Green Bay’s 16 points. Bears kicker Cairo Santos was even more on point, hitting from 43, 46 and 51 yards in the second half.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
As game time neared, the celebrities rolled in. Chicago native Common (left) met Bears Hall of Famer Richard Dent as the actor/rapper’s girlfriend, fellow Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson, looked on in amazement.
For those scoring at home, that’s two Oscar winners and one Super Bowl MVP in one shot.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
On his way off the field to head up to the FOX broadcast booth, NFL Analyst Tom Brady stopped to sign autographs for Bears fans. Last year, he revealed that the team made a “very stealth” effort to sign him as a free agent in 2020. Brady went to Tampa Bay instead, where he won his seventh Super Bowl in his first season with the Bucs.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Veteran Bears safety Kevin Byard (No. 31) takes the field. In addition to leading the NFL in interceptions, Byard is a team captain and the designated fire-starter for the Bears, delivering passionate pregame speeches to get his teammates hyped.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
The Packers controlled the game early, but in the second quarter, QB Jordan Love was hit helmet-to-helmet by Austin Booker (No. 94). The Bears defensive end was flagged for roughing the passer, one of his two such penalties in the first half, while Love was ruled out with a concussion.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Plagued by slow starts this season, the Bears amassed only 126 total yards of offense in the first half and trailed 6-0, which sent first-year head coach Ben Johnson back to the drawing board.
In his introductory press conference in January, the former Lions offensive coordinator said of staying in the NFC North, “I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.” At halftime, Johnson’s team was in jeopardy of losing to LaFleur’s twice this season.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Subbing for Love, Green Bay backup QB Malik Willis (No. 2) threw for 121 yards and ran for 44 more. The highlight was this late third-quarter pass to receiver Romeo Doubs (foreground) …
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
… who hauled it in for a 33-yard touchdown and a commanding 13-3 lead for the Packers. A win would have meant first place in the NFC North and a 99% chance to make the playoffs and host a first-round game in Green Bay.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
After three field goals in the fourth quarter, two by Chicago, the Packers led 16-9 with 1:59 left. At that point, the Bears’ win probability stood at 0.5%, according to Next Gen Stats. But that’s when the magic started happening. Chicago recovered an onside kick when the ball skidded off of Doubs’ hands.
The Bears then drove 53 yards in eight plays, culminating in a 6-yard touchdown catch by undrafted rookie receiver Jahdae Walker (No. 20) on fourth-and-4. It was the first touchdown — and first catch — of Walker’s career. Tie game.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
In Week 14 against the Packers, Bears receiver DJ Moore had the worst game of his eight-year career — one catch for -4 yards. On Saturday, he turned that performance on its head, making key grabs throughout the night.
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The highlight, of course, was this 46-yard, over-the-shoulder, walk-off catch in overtime that will go down in Bears and NFL lore.
On social media, some Bears fans are calling it “The Backpack Catch,” referring to Packers corner Keisean Nixon being draped all over the receiver, who officially had 0.6 yards of separation. Moore finished the night with a game-high five catches for a season-high 97 yards.
(Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports)
Moore may have gotten his revenge on the Packers, but it was Caleb Williams who earned Tom Brady’s “LFG Player of the Game” award. “Cardiac Caleb” led the Bears to a franchise-record sixth win this season when trailing in the final two minutes.
According to NFL Research, teams had lost 501 straight games when behind by 10-plus points under two minutes. But as Williams told Brady in a postgame interview, “We’re going to fight until the clock says zero.”
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
Read the full article here
