The Chicago Bears never won games like this. Every time it came down to a final pass of the game, the need for a first down, to kick a field goal, or stop a field goal, they were always on the wrong end of it. Fans expected more of the same on Sunday. Caleb Williams had done his job. He led the Bears to a go-ahead touchdown in the final moments. Unfortunately, there was time left on the clock. Las Vegas got a big return on the kickoff, and Geno Smith got them into field goal range for one of the best kickers in the league. It was over. Enter Josh Blackwell.
The former undrafted free agent has quietly become one of the Bears’ best special teamers. On the pivotal play, he streaked past the right side of the Raiders’ protection and dove with everything he had, blocking the kick. Just like that, the game was over. Yet the craziness doesn’t stop there.
Head coach Ben Johnson revealed after the game that special teams coordinator Richard Hightower not only predicted the field goal would be blocked, but that Blackwell would be the one to do it.
Blackwell himself gave credit for the moment to Bears long snapper Scott Daly. During preparation for the game, he’d noticed that Raiders snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer would move the ball right before he snapped it. That gave Blackwell a perfect tell for when to go. Hence why he got such a great jump.
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Josh Blackwell exorcized the demons of the Bears’ past.
For those who may not remember, this is the same scenario that Chicago encountered last season. The Green Bay Packers noticed a weakness in their protection before the first matchup in 2024. On the final play of the game, they exploited it to block what would’ve been the game-winning field goal. It seems rather poetic that the Bears would turn around the next year and use a similar scenario to steal a game they had to have. Josh Blackwell getting to play the hero is fitting. Here’s a kid who was cut by the Philadelphia Eagles as a rookie. The Bears brought him in, gave him an opportunity, and now he is one of their most dependable players. The fact is was all set up by some excellent film study by a teammate and a coaching staff willing to listen makes it even better.
