The Chicago Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-16 in overtime.
Chicago scored 10 points in the final two minutes of regulation to force the extra period.
A 46-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to D.J. Moore in overtime secured the victory.
CHICAGO – Already the best in the NFL, the rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers just got a whole lot more fun.
The Packers were on the verge of yet another win over their neighbors to the south, one that would have sealed a sweep of the season series and given first-year Bears coach Ben Johnson a serious case of red face after the smack he talked about beating Green Bay when he was hired. Then the Bears scored 10 points in the final 2 minutes to force overtime, and Caleb Williams won it with a bomb to DJ Moore, setting off a raucous celebration in the stands and across the city.
It was an epic finish, one that will add juice to the rivalry for the next few years.
‘We want the fans to be proud to be a Chicago Bears fan,’ said Williams, who took a lap around Soldier Field to salute the fans after the 22-16 win Saturday night. ‘I want them to travel well. I want them to be here. I want them to show out. I want them to be proud.’
Packers-Bears is always going to be heated. The franchises are only separated by about 200 miles, and the rivalry has featured some of the NFL’s most legendary coaches (George Halas, Vince Lombardi, Mike Ditka) and players (Bart Starr, Walter Payton, Ditka again, Aaron Rodgers).
But it has gotten a little lopsided, shall we say, in recent memory. Rodgers taunted Bears fans by saying he owned them during the Packers win at Soldier Field in 2021, and he wasn’t far wrong. Green Bay came into Saturday night’s game having won 12 of the last 13 games against the Bears, including one at Lambeau Field just two weeks ago.
The disparity was even more glaring in Chicago, where Green Bay had won 14 of its last 15 games at Soldier Field and 26 of the last 31.
But these are not the same Bears the Packers have gotten used to beating up on. They might not be a great team. They might not even be a very good team, with the win over the Packers only their third against a team that’s .500 or better.
But they’re a resilient team that knows how to win, and that forgives all kinds of sins.
‘This is a special group,’ Johnson said. ‘They’re mentally tough, they’re physically tough. I know we’re going to fight you for 60 minutes. In a game like that, even though the odds were against us late, we’re going to keep on swinging and make some plays.’
Despite playing without Micah Parsons and then losing Jordan Love to a concussion in the second quarter, the Packers were on the verge of winning this one after Brandon McManus kicked his third field goal of the night to put Green Bay up 16-6 with 5:03 left in regulation.
The Bears were forced to settle for a field goal on their next possession. Getting the ball after the 2-minute warning, the Packers just needed to run the clock out.
But the Bears had made fourth-quarter comebacks in five previous games this season, and they didn’t see any reason why they couldn’t make it a sixth.
‘I don’t think I’ve been around a team that, when it’s this late in games, they don’t bat an eye,’ Johnson said. ‘You don’t feel any despair on the sidelines from any of the phases. You might feel it in the stadium a little bit. I could feel the fans kind of come to life again once we got a little momentum going in the fourth quarter. But with our guys, they don’t miss a beat. They just keep plugging along and know good things will come.’
And indeed they did. Romeo Doubs got his hands on Cairo Santos’ onside kick only to fumble it, and Josh Blackwell pounced on it for the Bears.
Chicago had been in position to tie the game late two weeks ago, only to have Williams throw an interception. But he wasn’t giving anything away in this one. Williams moved the Bears 53 yards in eight plays, capping the drive with a 6-yard scoring pass to Jahdae Walker, who’d gotten his first career catch earlier in the game, to tie it at 16 with 24 seconds left.
In overtime, it was all Bears. After Malik Willis found Jayden Reed for a 31-yard gain to get the Packers into Chicago territory on their second play, Green Bay stalled. On fourth-and-1, Willis fumbled, turning the ball over to the Bears at their own 36.
After solid runs by D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai got the Bears across midfield, Williams found Moore for the game-winner — on a play they’d just added in practice Thursday.
‘The stadium went live and blew up,’ Williams said. ‘I’m happy for our guys, I’m happy for Chicago, I’m happy for this moment. (But) we’ve got some other good games coming up. We’ll enjoy it and move on.’
This is only Williams’ second season, so he can be forgiven for not realizing that nobody moves on in this rivalry. Everything is grievance fodder for the next time, and this game will be no different.
‘It came down to the wire in both the games,’ Johnson said. ‘It’s going to be an exciting future, I think.’
Bring it on.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
