By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO — Caleb Williams felt it as soon as the ball left his hand. Then, in a flash, the Chicago Bears were celebrating yet another wild win.
Williams threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore in overtime, and Chicago overcame a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter Saturday night for a 22-16 win over the Green Bay Packers, who lost quarterback Jordan Love to a concussion.
“I knew it was good,” Williams said. “You’ve got that belief. You’ve got that confidence. You’ve got that swagger as an offense. You’ve practiced well. You’ve hit plays like that in practice. It was pretty identical to practice. When the play gets called and the moment comes up like that, it’s time to go hit it. It’s time to go win the game.”
The Bears (11-4) extended their lead in the NFC North to 1½ games over the Packers (9-5-1) with two to play and got some payback for a loss at Lambeau Field two weeks earlier. It was Chicago’s sixth win this season after trailing in the final two minutes and its most incredible – Green Bay had a win probability of 99%.
Chicago moved closer to its first postseason trip since 2020 with a rare victory in the NFL’s longest-running rivalry. Counting the playoffs, the Bears are 7-30 against Green Bay since 2008. They would clinch a berth if old nemesis Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
“This is a special group,” Coach Ben Johnson said. “I felt that early in the season. You get with some of those wins – the Raiders game and the Washington game – and you start feeling it, the belief coming. This group – I’m talking about coaches and players combined – it’s rare. It really is.”
As for the Packers?
“It should hurt because these guys, all of us, we put a lot into this thing and we had opportunities,” Coach Matt LaFleur said. “You’re up two scores late in the game and unfortunately, it flipped pretty quick.”
Cairo Santos kicked a 43-yard field goal that got Chicago within 16-9 with 1:59 remaining. The Bears had no choice but to try an onside kick, and Josh Blackwell recovered it.
The Bears tied it with 24 seconds left when Williams beat an all-out blitz on fourth down and lofted a pass to a wide-open Jahdae Walker in the right corner of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown. Johnson opted to have Santos kick the tying extra point rather than go for a 2-point conversion.
In overtime, the Packers had fourth-and-1 at the Chicago 36-yard line when backup quarterback Malik Willis fumbled the snap. Chicago took over at the 36 and, four plays later, Moore hauled in the winning TD from Williams with Keisean Nixon draped all over him, setting off a wild celebration.
Two weeks earlier, Nixon sealed the Packers’ win when he intercepted Williams’ pass in the end zone. This time, the Bears came out on top with a play they installed in the days leading up to the game.
“I just had to run, run like I did in practice and connect like we did at practice,” Moore said. “It was really a practice rep but we did it in a game. Like I said, it was just amazing that we did it against the Packers.”
Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner from USC, completed 19 of 34 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. With eight career fourth-quarter comebacks, he tied Bo Nix’s NFL record for quarterbacks in their first two seasons.
Moore had 97 yards receiving with Rome Odunze missing his third straight game due to a foot injury. The Bears won their sixth in a row at home since a season-opening loss to Minnesota.
LOVE EXITS
Already missing Micah Parsons after the star pass rusher sustained a season-ending knee injury in a loss at Denver last week, the Packers had to get by without Love, who took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Chicago’s Austin Booker on a sack in the second quarter. Love jogged to the medical tent and then headed to the locker room.
While running back Josh Jacobs and receiver Christian Watson managed to play after they were listed as questionable, right tackle Zach Tom, safety Evan Williams and tight end Josh Whyle were sidelined by injuries. John FitzPatrick also left with an Achilles injury, leaving the Packers thin at tight end.
“That’s football, right?” LaFleur said. “And you’ve got to stay resilient. … You roll up your sleeves, you get back to work, and you continue to fight. And that’s what our guys will do.”
Booker was flagged for roughing the passer on the hit on the 27-year-old Love.
There was no update on Love after the loss.
“I hollered at him after the game, just really quickly,” said Willis, who replaced Love. “I mean, I didn’t get to really get into it too much with him. Just let him know I’m praying for him and hope he’s ready to go.”
Willis gave Green Bay (9-5-1) a spark, going 9 of 11 for 121 yards and a touchdown – a beautiful 33-yard pass to Romeo Doubs late in the third quarter. Willis also had 10 carries for 44 yards on the ground.
Willis and the Packers were in control after they opened a 16-6 lead on Brandon McManus’ third field goal, a 28-yarder with 5:03 left, but they were unable to close out a win that would have moved them back into first place in the NFC North.
“Just too many errors in critical moments that got us beat,” LaFleur said.
Green Bay went 0 for 5 in the red zone, after it was 1 for 4 in those situations against Denver, and Romeo Doubs mishandled the onside kick that was recovered by Chicago.
“I just didn’t do the job right and like I said, I’ll take 100% of this game,” said Doubs, who had 84 yards and a touchdown catch, though he also injured his wrist during the game.
Willis took the blame for the snap miscue in overtime.
“Just a miscommunication between me and (center) Sean (Rhyan),” he said. “He wasn’t expecting me to change up the cadence, but the clock got low and I was just trying to hurry up and get a snap. So we’re just a little off timing, off kilter there. That’s on me.”
Love led two field goal drives and completed 8 of 13 passes for 77 yards before getting hurt. He had nine touchdown passes and only two interceptions in five previous games against Chicago.
INJURIES
Packers: Linebacker Kristian Welch (ankle) was hurt making a tackle on a kickoff early in the second quarter. … Tight end John Fitzpatrick (Achilles tendon) was helped off the field in the fourth quarter.
Bears: Cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson (knee) exited in the fourth quarter. … Chicago activated linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (groin) from injured reserve after he missed the previous four games.
UP NEXT
The Packers host Baltimore next Saturday (Dec. 27).
The Bears visit San Francisco next Sunday (Dec. 28).
