Final Score: Bears 22 Packers 16
The Bears stole a game from the Packers this week on a night that fans (around both the city and country) will not forget for a long time. You could easily argue that this was the biggest Bears game since the double-doink of the 2018 playoffs. Chicago Bears scholars will write literature about the night that was windy enough to (hopefully) sway the dynamics of the Packers rivalry. The win put the Bears firmly in the driver’s seat of the NFC North, and enabled them to clinch a playoff spot with Detroit’s loss the following day.
For the Saturday primetime nightcap kickoff, Soldier Field was as loud as I’ve ever heard it. Trailing 16-6 with less than 3:00 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Bears managed to sink a 51-yard field goal, recover an onside kick, and cash in a clutch touchdown on 4th and 4 with :24 remaining, tying the game at 16 and sending it to overtime. Then, Caleb “Iceman” Williams made the best throw I’ve ever seen a Bears quarterback make (the best throw of the 2025 NFL season thus far according to PFF), an absolute seed to D.J. Moore that resulted in a 46 yard walk-off touchdown. The throw itself traveled 62.1 yards in the air, making it the longest completed pass of the 2025 NFL season.
The Bears are now 11-4, with everything looking up. The NFL took notice this week, with the Williams-Moore connection going viral. The Bears are on top of the NFL right now. All they can do is bask in this and try to keep it going.
Bright Spots
The NFL Has Finally Accepted Caleb Williams
I think that this was the game that finally shifted the tides on the general consensus of Caleb Williams. Cardiac Caleb posted 2 touchdowns and 250 passing yards, along with 30 rushing yards. He made arguably the most-impressive throw of the season in the D.J. Moore touchdown, in addition to an exceptional touchdown toss to undrafted rookie WR Jahdae Walker with unblocked pass rushers in his face. With the game being in a standalone spot at 8:20 on Saturday and given the records of the teams and importance of the game, most NFL fans around the country tuned in if they were able. These general NFL fans were finally able to see what Williams can do and has been doing all season long.
The Playoffs are Coming!
For the first time since 2021, the Bears are headed to the playoffs! This win against the Packers put them in great position to take the division, and Detroit’s loss on Sunday officially clinched the playoffs for Chicago. Sitting at the #2 seed in the NFC, there is still a possibility of securing the #1 seed. After the last few difficult seasons, it is amazing to see the Bears with such a fun, exciting, and talented team. Everything is clicking right now. The run game and offensive line are both exceptional, the quarterback is legit, the head coach is shaping to be one of the best in the NFL, and even the pass rush has its moments. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III will also return soon and provide a boost.
Also: although it’s not what Bears fans want to hear at the moment, it’s important to remember that they are ahead of schedule. With this being Ben Johnson’s first year as head coach and coming directly off of a 5-12 season, I was merely hoping for the Bears to flirt with the playoffs. The fact that they are 11-4 and have clinched the playoffs with still two weeks remaining is nearly unbelievable.
Glaring Issues
Bears Were Outplayed
The issue coming out of this week’s game is that the Bears were outplayed for most of the contest. Following a promising opening drive that concluded in a turnover on downs in the red zone, the offense really struggled to find its footing. The Bears were trailing 16-6 in the waning minutes of the game. Luckily, the team has become comfortable with dramatic comebacks. However, it is obviously ideal to avoid those types of situations.
Standout Performers
Nahshon Wright
There isn’t much left to say about Wright. Trusted into action to to a plethora of injuries to the secondary during the early stages of the season, Wright has improved drastically since his first handful of games. For the second time in a four-week span, Wright finished 1st in PFF run defense grade among all NFL defenders (593 players). This grade was no doubt enhanced by his clutch forced fumble of Josh Jacobs in the second half. He is a gamechanger.
Joe Thuney
Thuney graded out exceptionally well on PFF this week, finishing 1st in the NFL in pass block grade. To have a player finish first in any category is extremely impressive, let alone to have two in a single week. Thuney joined Wright in this category with his fantastic day protecting Caleb Williams, allowing only one pressure.
Key Drive of the Game
The biggest drive of the game came late in the 4th quarter. After special-teamer Josh Blackwell successfully recovered a Bears onside kick, the offense took possession of the ball with hope of a comeback. Trailing 16-9, all it needed was a touchdown to send the game to overtime-the issue was that it was yet to find the endzone all night long.
Caleb Williams and the Bears made quick work. They drove straight down the field with positive plays including a 10-yard pass to Colston Loveland and a 20-yard connection to D.J. Moore. On 4th and 4 from the 6-yard-line, Williams was able to find Jahdae Walker in the corner of the endzone for the clutch game-tying touchdown. This sent the game to overtime and made one of the best Bears moments of recent memory possible.