Bears Comeback: Stunning Win Recap

The Bears won again by completing a masterful comeback. The Packers once again suffered a playoff collapse of epic proportions. The routine for both teams, what a thing!

• Also read: Rams narrowly avoid disaster

The Bears won 31-27 in a match of immense quality in the first elimination round, trailing 21-3 after a disastrous first half for them.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, seemed to work for them in the first two quarters.

Their head coach Ben Johnson took some ill-advised risks by opting for fourth-down conversion attempts, including one at their 32 that failed miserably. Moments later, the Packers built their 18-point lead, which looked rock solid.

However, taking into account the history of the two teams in such a context, no lead could be seen as comfortable.

A gradual awakening

The Bears, with their quarterback Caleb Williams, are used to swimming in troubled waters.

Little by little, starting in the third quarter, they climbed back up the slope, first two three field goals from Cairo Santos to reduce the gap to 15 points.

A D’Andre Swift touchdown run on a five-yard run then brought them within five points. But in their turn with the ball, the Packers came back to life and Matthew Golden gave his team the lead again by covering 23 yards on a short pass from Jordan Love.

The Bears responded in turn when Williams threw his first touchdown pass, to Olamide Zaccheaus. It was 27-24 for the Packers and the Bears finally took the lead on Williams’ second touchdown pass, this time to DJ Moore, with 1:43 left.

The Packers tried to score in their turn, but in the final moments of the game, they came up against the Bears defense and were stopped 28 yards from the end zone.

A habit

Believe it or not, this was the seventh time this season that the Bears went for a victory in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. It’s unimaginable to what extent Williams, in his second season in the NFL, has established himself as the king of comebacks.

In NFL playoff history, it was only the third comeback of 15 yards or more and the first since the Patriots’ unforgettable 25-point comeback in the Super Bowl in February 2017.

Historically, the Bears were 0-16 when trailing by 10 or more points in the playoffs. With Caleb Williams running the offense, they’re not at all the same old Bears, who were eternally designed to win with their defense and ground game. Moreover, the ground game against the Packers was limited to 93 yards on 28 carries, for a low average of 3.3 yards per carry.

The magic clearly comes from the arm and legs of Williams, who flees pressure like Patrick Mahomes in his debut. He is simply phenomenal when his team has their backs against the wall.

Before this meeting, Williams had amassed 2,063 yards and 18 touchdowns, compared to only four interceptions when his team was trailing. Still amazing!

Not only did the Bears win, they did so by becoming the first team since the Eagles in 1992 to score at least 25 points in the fourth quarter of a game; elimination.

The Packers only have themselves to blame

If the Bears’ habit is to make comebacks, the Packers’ habit is to collapse in the playoffs.

Indeed, since 2000, they have now lost six playoff games in which they held the lead in the final five minutes. That’s an unenviable high in the NFL over the past 25 years.

It happened in 2021 and 2023 against the 49ers, in 2014 and 2015 against the Seahawks and in 2003 against the Eagles.

The first time, Brett Favre was the quarterback. In 2014, 2015 and 2021, it was Aaron Rodgers. In 2023 and this year, it was Jordan Love.

It goes to show that the Packers may have relied on excellent quarterbacks for over 30 years, but they seem allergic to having the lead when their lives are on the line.

Love still finished the game with 323 yards and four touchdowns, without a turnover. There are far more obvious culprits than him. It’s hard to point the finger at him.

The Packers didn’t help themselves with seven penalties. They didn’t help themselves by converting just six of their 15 attempts on third downs. They didn’t help themselves with a yard gain on their first four offensive series in the second half. They didn’t help themselves on special teams with two missed field goals and a conversion from kicker Brandon McManus. We are talking here about seven precious points left on the field.

Many will question the future of head coach Matt LaFleur. Under his leadership, the Packers have won only one playoff game in the last five years.

It appears he is safe and the Packers are even looking to give him a contract extension. We will have to see if this other collapse will change the situation.

THE 3 STARS OF THE MATCH

Caleb Williams

With 361 yards and two touchdown passes, Caleb Williams made us forget his two interceptions. He added 20 yards rushing and often escaped pressure brilliantly. The Bears definitely have their franchise quarterback.

Colston Loveland

Colston Loveland became the first rookie tight end since Keith Jackson in 1988 to pass the 100-yard mark in a playoff game. He finished with 137 yards on eight receptions.

Romeo Doubs

In a losing cause, the Packers receiver caught eight passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. He was clearly Jordan Love’s target of choice in critical moments.