Caleb Williams led the Chicago Bears to another sensational late win over fierce divisional rivals Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday night.
It’s a crushing loss for the Packers, who led 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 by the time the fourth quarter started. Somehow, they lost 31-27.
That 18-point deficit evaporated at a Soldier Field that was simply rocking by the end of the night thanks to a team that just do not know when they are beaten. It’s the seventh time the Bears have been trailing in the fourth quarter this season and it’s the seventh time that they’ve come out as the winners.
It was DJ Moore who got the winning touchdown, catching a beauty of a 25-yard pass from Williams to complete an astonishing comeback from Ben Johnson’s men. It was the first playoff win for the Bears in 15 years.
‘We understand that it’s 6-0 minutes of football. We understand and know who we are, we understand what this means for the city,’ Williams said. ‘So we keep going and keep fighting.
‘Play with the frustration, the anger, all of that. Use that for our advantage. Right before i walked out I told the offensive line, the other quarterbacks, we are going to protect our den today.’
Caleb Williams was the hero after the Chicago Bears beat Green Bay Packers on Saturday night
Williams once again led the Bears back from the dead as they advanced in the playoffs
The quarterback soaks up the attention after another sensational night in Chicago
But amid the drama and chaos of such a gripping fightback, Williams admitted that if the Bears are to reach a Super Bowl then they can’t keep fightback at the death.
‘We’ve got to get better this week,’ Williams said. ‘We’ve got to execute and do the small things and from there we’ve got to have the mentality.
‘It’s 1-0 and every week coming in to it and it starts in the first quarter, it starts tomorrow and then throughout the week. Got a lot more to show. My goal is to win the big one. It starts with this one.’
Williams was the hero – Bears fans serenaded him with chants of ‘MVP’ when joined the Amazon Prime studio after the game – but he didn’t do it alone.
Tight end Colestone Loveland was relentless, ending with eight receptions for 137 yards. D’Andre Swift took 13 carries 54 yards and scored a touchdown.
Williams found a wide-open Moore along the left sideline to give Chicago a 31-27 lead with 1:43 remaining.
Jordan Love then led Green Bay into Chicago territory. But on third down at the 28, Jaquan Brisker broke up a pass in the end zone as time expired, setting off a wild celebration – and a curt handshake between Johnson and Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
Williams had one response to those fans singing to him while he spoke to Amazon. He ended the interview with a foam cheese grater on his head, a real one in one hand and a block of cheese in the other as he danced on the grave of one of Chicago’s greatest enemies.
Williams was euphoric at the end of the game but insisted his team have lots to improve upon
As for the Packers, such a dramatic collapse will take time for the team to recover from
The Bears will be at home next weekend. If the Philadelphia Eagles beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, then the defending Super Bowl champions will be in Chicago for the next game.
If the 49ers win, then it’s the Los Angeles Rams for the Bears, who only just beat the Carolina Panthers earlier on Saturday.
As for the Packers, it’s a crushing defeat that will take time to recover from. There is growing chatter around the status of head coach Matt LaFleur which, one way or another, the organization will need to address at some stage.