The Chicago Bears may have drawn inspiration from a famous New England Patriots comeback when they rallied to defeat the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
Chicago overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit to advance past the postseason’s opening round with a dramatic 31-27 win over its NFC North rival. The Bears scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-winning touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to DJ Moore in the closing minutes.
Ben Johnson recalled another improbable playoff resurgence when discussing his team’s win. The Bears head coach told reporters that he showed players footage of New England’s Super Bowl LI comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons during training camp.
Two players on opposite sides of the iconic game also shared their contrasting perspectives. Joe Thuney played for the Patriots when they erased a 28-3 deficit, and Grady Jarrett was on the losing end of the rally.
“I think it’s a good lesson to learn that it’s 28-3 in the middle of the third quarter. And yet, the game is still being played, and there’s a lot of time left,” Johnson said. “That was my message to the group. Was just reminding them that this has been done before. And rather than saying, ‘Woe is me’ and ‘Oh crap, we’re in a hole,’ it’s more, this is a great opportunity for us to turn this thing around into a game that we’ll never forget. And that’s what they did.”
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They weren’t down 28-3, but the Bears may have taken that lesson to heart when overcoming an 18-point hole at Soldier Field. Caleb Williams led the franchise’s first playoff win since 2010, tallying 361 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bears will face either the Philadelphia Eagles, if they defeat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, or the Los Angeles Rams in the second round.
Featured image via Matt Marton-Imagn Images
