The Chicago Bears were dead in the water. Even after Cairo Santos hit a tough field goal to make it a one-score game, nobody expected it to matter. The Bears had failed to save the two-minute warning and were running out of time—that left head coach Ben Johnson with a tough decision. Kick deep and hope his defense could get a quick stop, which they hadn’t done all night, or go for the onside kick. They went with the latter, and Josh Blackwell miraculously recovered it. From there, Caleb Williams and D.J. Moore went to work.

The pair hooked up on the next drive on a 20-yard pass, getting into the red zone. A few plays later, Williams beat a Packers blitz to Jahdae Walker for the game-tying touchdown. The game went to overtime. After a strong start to their drive, Green Bay faced 4th and 1 from the Bears’ 36. Green Bay went for it, but botched the snap, turning it over on downs. Four plays later, Williams went to Moore deep.

On the surface, that play meant so much. It was the Bears’ first win against the Packers at Soldier Field since 2018. It put the team in control of the NFC North. However, for Williams and Moore, it meant more because of who they beat to make it happen. Packers safety Keishan Nixon first drew their attention two weeks ago when he intercepted Williams’ final pass in Green Bay to prevent overtime. However, the defensive back made it personal with a cheap shot on Moore in the first half.

Caleb Williams and DJ Moore kept the receipts.

The quarterback knew Nixon never should’ve gotten that interception in the first matchup. He put too much air on the ball to Cole Kmet, which gave the defender time to catch up. Yet Nixon decided to act like he was Ronnie Lott all of a sudden with that hit on Moore. You can bet money the Bears were waiting for an opportunity to go after him. The fact that it came on the most pivotal play of the season seems incredibly poetic. Nixon has no excuse. He was in good coverage.

It just didn’t matter.

Caleb Williams and D.J. Moore have always been on the same page this season. Some have wondered if the two have some kind of disconnect tracing back to last year. It wasn’t a secret that Moore didn’t want the Bears to trade Justin Fields. Still, they seem to have found their groove after Rome Odunze and Luther Burden went down with injuries. Now the Bears are a Lions loss away from the playoffs and Green Bay is left wondering what’s next. Maybe Nixon will keep it clean next time.

Few players felt the emotion of the moment more than DJ Moore. Here is a wide receiver who has know almost nothing but losing since college. He lost a lot at Maryland, lost a lot in Carolina, and lost a lot through his first two years with the Chicago Bears. One can only imagine how he feels being part of a team that now has 11 wins and firm control of the NFC North. All of it is because of him. His incredible 46-yard touchdown in overtime to beat the Green Bay Packers will be played on highlight reels for years to come in the Chicagoland area.

Amazingly, that wasn’t the best part. After the game was over and the Bears were victorious 22-16, camera crews waded through the euphoric celebration to find Moore. There, they asked him about how things went down. Moore, still out of breath and with a huge smile on his face, couldn’t hold back the emotions. That included remembering to censor himself for the live cameras. Not until the end of the interview did he finally remember, and it was for easily the best comment of the night.

“At the end of the day, it’s F the Packers always.”

DJ Moore deserved that win more than anybody.

The wide receiver had been under fire all season for not pulling his weight, considering he was being paid more than $20 million. However, with other players like Rome Odunze and Luther Burden going down with injuries, the Bears needed their star to step up. He absolutely did. It started with two touchdowns to secure a blowout win over the Cleveland Browns last week. Then, when the chips were down, Moore came up money in the 4th quarter with three catches for 88 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

None of this magic happens without DJ Moore. This game was a reminder of why the Bears traded for him in the first place. When given opportunities, he can make big plays. The only thing he’d never gotten to do was make them in big moments. Saturday night against the Packers removed any lingering doubts. This guy is a gamer, and now he’ll have free drinks waiting for him at every bar the rest of his career. This video is sure to make the rounds from time to time as well.

The game was over. It was another in a long line of frustrating losses by the Chicago Bears to the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay dictated the game all night, controlling the clock and making key defensive stops. It was 6-9 with under two minutes to play. Chicago had to go for an onside kick. It was a last gasp. Then, as he’s done all season, Josh Blackwell lit the fuse by recovering the ball. Given new life, Caleb Williams decided to take the game into his own hands. Driving the Bears down the field, he faced a do-or-die 4th and four from the six-yard line.

Green Bay called an all-out blitz. Rashan Gary got a clean shot at Williams. It didn’t matter. Caleb lofted a perfect throw to Jahdae Walker for the game-tying touchdown. Just like that, the Bears forced overtime.

It looked like Green Bay was re-establishing control on their first drive, quickly getting into Bears territory. However, a botched snap on 4th down gave the ball back to Chicago. All they needed was a field goal to win. Williams wasn’t wild about that idea. After two runs got them to the Packers’ 46, Ben Johnson called for a play action. The blitz was picked up. Williams turned the ball loose down the field to a streaking D.J. Moore for a game-winning touchdown.

Caleb Williams has done something no Bears quarterback has in decades.

He slayed the Green Bay Packers on primetime television with a 4th quarter comeback for the ages. Nobody even got close to that accomplishment over the past 30 years. Everybody knew the script. Green Bay builds a big lead. Chicago may fight back to get close, but it inevitably falls short. Nobody could blame fans for expecting that outcome on Saturday night. However, we’ve seen all year that this team and this quarterback always seem to play their best with their backs against the wall.

Chicago has waited for a champion to help them slay the Packers Boogeyman for a long time. Many have tried. All have failed. Caleb Williams took up the mantle and decided to slay the dragon once and for all. The fact that he did it with one of the best throws by any quarterback this season is a testament to what the Bears have. This kid is the real deal. He is a franchise quarterback. The Bears have finally done it. Now they get to enjoy the fruits of what is to come.

CHICAGO — There’s something different about the buildup for a primetime showdown between two good teams this late in December. Especially when they’re in the same division. Especially when it’s the Bears and Packers.

While this rematch took place just 13 days since the last game at Lambeau Field, quite a bit has changed for both teams since. Green Bay lost Micah Parsons to a torn ACL, as well as both Evan Williams and Zach Tom for this game. The Bears lost Luther Burden (and Kyler Gordon long term again), but got Tremaine Edmunds back.

Two good, banged up teams playing for control of the NFC North (and essentially the title) tonight. Just like we all expected at the beginning of the season.

And the Bears, whose comeback attempt two weeks ago came up just short, looked like little brother on both sides of the ball for 3.75 quarters. And then they came back to win in the most unbelievable of ways (again) to take control of the NFC North. Just a crazy, crazy ending.

I shared my in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the game below. Follow me on X @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.

Thoughts and Observations

1. (PREGAME) — Just a quick appetizer, given the time of year and the stakes. Those sweet noon CT kickoffs that fans love so much… will largely be a thing of the past as the Bears hopefully continue to establish themselves for years to come.

2. Quite an adventure first two possessions for both teams in a massive game. The Packers benefited from a personal foul call on the opening kickoff to get the ball at their own 47. After a horrendous roughing the passer, they moved inside the red zone. But the Bears turned them away as C.J. Gardner-Johnson was attached to Christian Watson’s hip in the end zone and the ball sailed away.

The Bears used that momentum to rifle down the field and get inside the 10-yard line, where they faced a 4th and 1 of their own. But a bad snap on a trick play lost 18 yards and their own turnover on downs. The good news was Caleb Williams and the running game looked really good on the drive. But that result kills the momentum a bit. (I liked the decision to go for it, but didn’t love the play call and the execution spoke for itself.)

3. Packers have weathered the initial storm and quieted the crowd. They’ve dominated possession and moved the ball at will down the field, and have started to beat the Bears up in the trenches. Reminder, they’re missing Zach Tom and still have the DL largely in hell. Austin Booker‘s had a couple nice rushes and good QB hits, but both have been wrongfully called roughing the passer. Brutal.

Bears are fortunate to just be down 6-0 with 1:41 left in the half. Packers have gotten to the red zone / inside the 15 three times in three drives and have dominated time of possession. Impressive showing and coaching from them.

4. Booker’s second “roughing” call knocked out Jordan Love for the time being. Obviously a big loss if it lingers, but Malik Willis did a good job salvaging that drive for Green Bay to get them their second field goal.

To me, the roughing call was terrible. Love lowered his head as Booker got to him. Unfortunate that he got hurt… but not a worthwhile penalty.

5. A clear defensive hold (at minimum) not called on third down on the Bears’ final drive of the half. No call on Keisean Nixon’s blindside hit away from the play no D.J. Moore. Bad roughing calls.

Look, the Bears have themselves to blame for the 4th and 1 failure in the red zone earlier, but these are game swinging plays that are just being ignored by the refs. Horrible.

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6. Last week, Kyle Monangai dropped a dump off on the first drive that would’ve gone for a huge gain — potentially score. On the Bears’ first drive of the second half tonight, Monangai caught a nice blitz beating sidearm throw by Williams to rumble for 44 yards and set up a field goal to cut it to 6-3.

The Bears got lucky on that drive as Caleb was late on an in-breaker over the middle of the field to Colston Loveland and Xavier McKinney almost streaked across the field to pick it off. Very close. Could’ve been a tendency read from McKinney, but Williams was a full tick late on the throw too. It was open initially.

With Jordan Love now out of the game with a concussion, the Bears need to find a way to contain the Malik Willis-led Packers offense. That means starting to win against that beat-up OL.

7. Goodness gracious. The Bears offered zero resistance to the Willis-led Packers as they strolled down the field to set up 1st and goal at the 4-yard line and chewed away much of the third quarter. A handoff to Josh Jacobs gained three yards… and then Nahshon Wright (of course) stripped the ball and Tremaine Edmunds recovered it.

They were looking absolutely HELPLESS against Matt LaFleur’s brilliance, and then that.

But they didn’t do anything with it. One first down to get out of their own end zone and then a bad sequence to punt.

8. In some ways, I feel like Micah Parsons’ injury forced Jeff Hafley to be even more creative and funky with his defense and he’s done a great job. He’s really throttled the Bears’ offense after the first drive. Superb coaching performance on both sides of the ball for the Packers.

LaFleur’s called an immensely incredible game for Willis and it resulted in that touchdown to put Green Bay up 13-3. A total DOT to Romeo Doubs — who got behind Gardner-Johnson on a switch-release play.

Through three quarters… I have to say this:

9. Bears got some momentum on their next drive — riding a nice long completion to D.J. Moore and some tough running by D’Andre Swift. But a bad decision by Caleb to not run when the lane was there, followed by an intentional grounding call, led to a field goal attempt — from 51 yards — that Cairo Santos made.

13-6 Packers with 10 minutes left in the game. Again, just not coming up big enough when it matters tonight.

10. Jaquan Brisker with a horrendous penalty early in the drive to put the Packers in field goal range right away. It was their fourth personal foul penalty of the day — two of them not real — but still. Bears did not have their heads in the game well enough to win.

And you know what happened – the Packers’ OL dominated the Bears’ DL down the field again and the Packers kicked another FG inside the 10-yard line to go up 16-6 with 5 minutes left. Probably the dagger.

11a. I was hoping missing Rome Odunze and Luther Burden wouldn’t impact the Bears THIS much, but my goodness were they sloppy before the 2-minute warning. Bad drops by OZ and Moore, bad illegal shift wiping out a first down, just bad football. And then Cairo Santos waltzed onto the field to kick the FG too slowly to not get it in before the 2-minute warning.

BUT just as I say that… Santos dribbled an onside kick that the Packers fumbled and Josh Blackwell recovered. Bears with life. Somehow… This feels apt, though.

11b. On 4th and 4 from the 4-yard line, Caleb drifted back and lofted a floater to the back of the end zone where Jahdae Walker scored a touchdown falling down. Unbelievable. This team was left for dead (rightfully so) and they pull off 10 points in 2 minutes. Crazy.

12. You cannot make this up… a repeat of Jayden Daniels’ fumble in Washington. The Packers went for it on 4th and 1 in overtime in plus territory and Willis fumbled — turnover on downs. Just when it looked like they were going to walk the Bears down the field again. Crazy turn of events.

And then after Kyle Monangai rifled through for a first down to give the Bears a first down in Packers territory (where a FG would win it), Ben Johnson dialed up a shot for the win — and Caleb hit D.J. Moore in stride into the end zone. Unreal throw, unreal catch.

Absolutely unbelievable. Out of NOWHERE.

13. Bears move to 11-4 and have a 1.5 game lead over the Packers with two to play. They are one win away from the NFC North crown. Just unbelievable.

14. A very concerning performance tonight from the defense, but the Bears escape with yet another insane win. Having a little longer before going out west helps, but you can’t help but wonder what Kyle Shanahan will have in store for this team after watching what LaFleur and Hafley did tonight. There should be concern. But the Bears seem to be able to overcome literally anything at this point.

Early prediction: Bears 27, 49ers 23.

Weird stuff always seems to happen when the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers meet during a season. Two weeks ago, people were shocked at the poor state of Lambeau Field, which was slippery and chunky despite a strong reputation for quality. Some wondered if the team’s groundscrew decided to ease up on the work to prepare the field for the game, giving the Packers a true home field advantage by knowing what cleats to wear on such a bad surface. Well, maybe the Bears decided to retaliate.

An interesting development took place on the Green Bay sidelines during the first half of the rematch at Soldier Field. Reports came out that the Packers’ heaters weren’t functional, meaning players had no way to stay warm. It wasn’t certain what happened. Tom Brady spoke about it on the broadcast, admitting that in his 22-year career, that had never happened to him, and he played in lots of cold-weather games. Either the machines involved were on their last legs or had been tampered with.

The Green Bay Packers have weathered the cold thus far.

They used a grinding offensive approach and a strong defensive game plan to hold a 6-0 lead at halftime. Unfortunately, it cost them Jordan Love, who left the game with a concussion and will not return. Still, you’d expect the Packers offense to be more explosive than this since they have most of their key players aside from tackle Zach Tom. Both teams have displayed strong defense in the red zone. This will come down to who can deliver the most big plays and who has the mental fortitude to persevere.

The Green Bay Packers are desperate. This season was supposed to be their first window at a Super Bowl run. Now they’re trying to keep it alive without star pass rusher Micah Parsons. They already dealt with Detroit. A win in Chicago all but cements their grip on the NFC North and guarantees a home game in the postseason. Unfortunately, it’s coming at a price. The sideline heater situation is merely a distraction. Whether it was intentional or not doesn’t matter. They have no time to investigate.

The Wieners Circle is a food institution in downtown Chicago. They may also have stumbled upon the single most brilliant marketing campaign in recent memory. It started when they stated they’d give free hot dogs to all patrons if Caleb Williams threw four touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. He did. Next, they said they’d do it again if head coach Ben Johnson took his shirt off in a post-game locker room by the end of the season. He did it following the big victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Well, the third time is the charm, as they say. The restaurant decided to drop another challenge. Once again, it was directed at Coach Johnson. However, it has nothing to do with shirt removal this time. Their stipulation is simple. The Bears have to pull off a touchdown play to a big man at some point during the game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. We’re talking an offensive lineman. If it’s done, more free hot dogs for the Chicago faithful. Anyone who knows Johnson’s history will immediately understand that this tickles him. Few coaches have a greater love for gadget plays than he.

Ben Johnson already tried in the first matchup against Green Bay.

In the 4th quarter, trailing 21-14, the Bears had the ball at the 1-yard line. Tackle Theo Benedet went in motion to the left. However, at the snap, he was undercut by a Packers defender. The belief is that Benedet was the intended receiver on the play, and Green Bay should’ve been called for a penalty. It ended up not mattering as Caleb Williams found Colston Loveland for a touchdown anyway. Still, it was clear Johnson had designs on a big man touchdown. There is no reason to think he won’t in this game either. It all depends on the situation.

This isn’t something the Bears will focus on. They’re only objective is winning the football game. Ben Johnson will call that play for the sole purpose of whether the Packers present the opportunity. Free hot dogs is great. A potential division title is better. Either way, the PR campaign around this exchange is one of the coolest parts of the season for the city. It happened by complete happenstance and has grown into a rally cry for the team’s season. Here’s hoping it continues.

The Chicago Bears are about to play their most crucial game of the season, and it is easily the most important in their rivalry with the Green Bay Packers since 2013. There is no question that the winner of this game likely claims the NFC North crown. Green Bay took the first matchup at Lambeau Field in a physical 28-21 contest. The rematch at Soldier Field carries even more weight, and it looks like injuries will be a major plot point. Chicago won’t have Rome Odunze or Luther Burden for this game on offense. The Packers lost Micah Parsons to a torn ACL and likely won’t have top tackle Zach Tom as well. The biggest unknown is Josh Jacobs.

Green Bay’s star running back was pivotal to their victory two weeks ago. His status for Saturday night has remained clouded due to a knee injury. Some believe he will try to guy it out. Others think he’s unlikely to play. People close to the situation have informed Sports Mockery that Jacobs is pushing to play. However, Green Bay’s medical team is firmly against it. This stalemate has put head coach Matt LaFleur in a difficult spot. The team absolutely needs Jacobs to increase their chances of winning, but playing him risks aggravating the injury further. Green Bay is averaging under 4.0 yards per carry when he isn’t on the field.

Josh Jacobs decision likely comes down to how Packers view remaining schedule.

After Chicago, they face the Ravens at home before finishing up in Minnesota against the Vikings. Were they to lose this game, would holding Jacobs out be enough to help in those final two games to ensure a playoff spot? It isn’t an easy decision. Green Bay knows that a division title and a possible high seed are at stake. Would the risk of losing Jacobs for the season be worth that? Packers beat writers get the sense that the answer is no. Rob Demovsky said it’s leaning more towards doubtful the running back plays.

This is similar to the situation the Bears faced with Aaron Rodgers a few weeks ago. He was pushing to play when the Pittsburgh Steelers visited Soldier Field. In the end, the medical staff didn’t like the diagnosis, and the coaches chose to sit him. Of course, there is a lot more at stake in this game. Josh Jacobs has been a constant difference-maker in this rivalry. He has scored a touchdown in every meeting and is averaging almost five yards per carry. His loss would be tremendous, but sometimes you have to do what is best for the player.

The Chicago Bears are deadlocked with the state of Illinois over their efforts to build a new stadium. Team president Kevin Warren and the McCaskey family have secured private funding for the construction of the building, but they require public support for the infrastructure. Governor J.B. Pritzker and his state government have been adamant for years that no taxpayer money would go towards any such project. As a result, the Bears declared this week that they are now considered options outside Illinois, including northwest Indiana.

People are left wondering what solutions remain where both sides can somehow save face. The Bears get the stadium control they want while the state doesn’t have to shell out a billion dollars for infrastructure costs. One option does exist, but it hasn’t been put on the table yet.

The Bears should buy Soldier Field.

Right now, the Chicago Park District owns the stadium and the surrounding area. The Bears have leased it since 1971, meaning they have no control over renovation, revenue streams, or naming rights. This is one of the big reasons they’ve been pursuing a new stadium in the first place. So why not stop searching for new locations and purchase the one they’ve called home for 56 years?

The Chicago Bears buying Soldier Field has plenty of advantages.

For one, it would ultimately be more cost-effective than building a new stadium complex. Currently, projections indicate that such a move could cost upwards of $5 billion. Meanwhile, a proposal from former Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggested a renovation of Soldier Field would cost around $1-2.2 billion. The obvious roadblock is the Chicago Park District, who own the stadium. Convincing them to sell would not be easy, as they view it as a primary revenue generator, not just from the Bears but also from concerts and other events. Estimates say they make around $54-57 million annually from the stadium.

That leaves two issues with the Chicago Bears. There is the revenue loss the CPD would face, as well as the $356 million in debt remaining from the previous Soldier Field renovations. Even so, covering that cost and renovating the stadium would still be cheaper than building a new one elsewhere. Most importantly, it would keep the Bears in the city where they’ve played for over a century. There is no reason to think Governor Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson can’t work something out with the Park District that would convince them to sell. Illinois’ typical annual budget is around $50-55 billion. Diverting a tiny fraction of that to help the CPD would be easy, especially compared to funneling taxpayer money towards a new stadium.

This isn’t unheard of territory.

Sports teams that originally leased a stadium have gone on to buy it. The Bradford Bulls did it in the Rugby Football League. The Gremio soccer club bought its stadium after renting it from a construction company. This would just be on a considerably bigger scale for the Bears.