The Chicago Bears pulled off a stunning overtime victory against the Green Bay Packers, 22-16, at Soldier Field on Saturday night during a primetime matchup.
Down 16-6 entering the final minutes, Chicago narrowed the gap with a 43-yard field goal by Cairo Santos. An onside kick recovery set up a frantic drive, culminating in Caleb Williams’ fourth-down touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker from six yards out, tying it at 16-16 with under 30 seconds left.
Overtime saw Green Bay advance but lose possession on a botched snap during a fourth-and-short attempt. Williams then delivered the decisive blow, hitting DJ Moore on a 46-yard scoring strike. Williams finished with 250 passing yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-34 attempts.
The Packers lost starter Jordan Love to a concussion in the second quarter, leaving Malik Willis to throw for 121 yards and one score. Romeo Doubs contributed 84 receiving yards before a wrist injury.
Chicago’s record improved to 11-4, widening their NFC North advantage to 1.5 games over Green Bay (9-5-1). As of December 21, the Bears stand on the brink of clinching a playoff spot if Pittsburgh tops Detroit later today.
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Following the epic game, Williams praised his Bears coaching staff, which is led by first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
“I got the best coach in the world, let’s put it that way,” Williams said post-game. “And we have the best coaching staff in the world. And so, you put the talent, the coaches, and the people that care (together), you can strive for anything, you can reach anything, you can go after any goal. And when you go out there on that football field, you’re belief is at an all-time high between players, between coaches, and you have outcomes like this.”
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The Bears will be on the road next week for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.
Featured image via Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
