Caleb Williams Leads Bears Past Packers, 31–27, in Historic Playoff Comeback

CHICAGO — The Bears needed more than a late touchdown to end Green Bay's season. They needed a fourth-down escape from Caleb Williams, a successful two-point conversion, a missed Packers field goal and a final defensive stand after DJ Moore gave them the lead.

All four arrived Saturday at Soldier Field. Chicago overturned a 21–3 halftime deficit and beat Green Bay 31–27 in the January 10 wild-card game, scoring 25 fourth-quarter points to advance to the NFC Divisional Round. Williams' 25-yard touchdown pass to Moore with 1:43 remaining supplied the winning margin. The defense protected it through the final snap.

The victory was Chicago's largest postseason comeback. It also extended a first season under Ben Johnson in which the Bears had repeatedly recovered from late deficits. This time, the comeback kept their season alive and ended their oldest rival's.

Why the halftime deficit was so dangerous

Chicago opened with a Cairo Santos field goal, then watched Jordan Love turn Green Bay's first three possessions into touchdowns. Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs caught the scoring passes. The Packers entered halftime ahead 21–3, having established a passing game Chicago had not yet disrupted consistently.

The Bears' problems went beyond a lack of scoring. Their fourth-down attempts repeatedly failed to sustain possessions. Williams threw one fourth-down interception to Carrington Valentine in the second quarter and another to Ty'Ron Hopper in the third. Green Bay was receiving opportunities to close the game while Chicago kept returning to the sideline without enough points.

That combination explains why a final passing line alone cannot describe Williams' night. He would finish with 361 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions and completed only half his attempts. His decisive work came after Chicago had already absorbed the cost of those mistakes.

Four punts kept the game within reach

The Packers' offense stopped producing touchdowns at the start of the second half. Green Bay punted on its first four possessions after intermission, with three of those drives ending in three-and-outs. Its third-quarter offense gained one net yard.

Those stops kept Chicago's deficit from growing while the Bears still struggled to finish drives. Santos' third-quarter field goal made it 21–6. Devin Duvernay then returned a punt 37 yards, giving Chicago possession in Green Bay territory before the fourth quarter began. Santos added a 51-yard field goal early in the final period.

The return and kick changed the scoring requirement. At 21–9, Chicago could move within one touchdown by reaching the end zone once. D'Andre Swift's rushing score did that, cutting Green Bay's lead to 21–16. For the first time since the opening quarter, the Packers had to defend a one-possession advantage against an offense producing points.

Green Bay answered, then left an opening

Love found rookie Matthew Golden for a 23-yard touchdown with 6:36 remaining. The score restored an 11-point lead, but Brandon McManus missed the extra point. Chicago took over trailing 27–16.

Williams' next possession reached a point where another failed fourth down would have left the Packers with a substantial lead and very little time to lose it. A false start changed fourth-and-3 into fourth-and-8 at the Chicago 43. Under pressure, Williams moved left and delivered a 27-yard completion to Rome Odunze.

The completion preserved the drive without requiring Chicago to surrender the football or wait for another defensive stop. Kyle Monangai subsequently turned a checkdown into a 22-yard gain. Williams finished the possession with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus, then found Colston Loveland for the two-point conversion.

With 4:18 left, the deficit was three points. The conversion mattered because Chicago could now draw level with a field goal if its next possession stalled short of the end zone. Williams and Johnson had preserved more than one possible path through the remaining minutes.

The opening Moore converted into the lead

Green Bay responded by moving into field-goal range. Doubs' 34-yard reception was a major gain, but the possession ended with three incomplete passes and McManus missing a 44-yard attempt with 2:51 remaining.

Chicago then traveled 66 yards on six plays. On third-and-4, Williams found Swift in the right flat for 23 yards, moving the ball to the Green Bay 25. That completion created an immediate opportunity to attack the end zone instead of merely preserving the possibility of a tying kick.

On the next snap, Williams showed a receiver-screen action toward Luther Burden III. Valentine reacted to the fake, and Moore became available downfield. Williams connected with him for the 25-yard touchdown. Santos' extra point put the Bears ahead 31–27.

The two Chicago touchdown possessions had taken less than three minutes of game time between their scoring plays. Both contained a conversion that prevented the Bears from facing a much worse down-and-distance situation. Odunze kept the first drive alive; Swift moved the second into position for the winning throw.

A final stop completed the comeback

Love still had enough time to reach the end zone. Green Bay advanced to Chicago's 23-yard line before a false start moved the ball back five yards. An incomplete pass left seven seconds for one final attempt.

Love mishandled the shotgun snap, recovered the football and tried to produce a throw into the end zone as the play developed. The pass fell incomplete. Chicago's defense had stopped the final possession after giving the offense repeated chances throughout the second half.

Green Bay finished with four Love touchdown passes and no interceptions, yet only six second-half points. The Bears did not manufacture a takeaway to reverse the game. They forced punts, defended the final possession and gave Williams time to assemble the scoring drives that had been missing earlier.

The performances behind the result

Williams completed 24 of 48 passes for 361 yards, establishing a Bears postseason passing record. Loveland supplied eight receptions for 137 yards. Those gains gave Chicago a productive target through the middle of the game, before Moore delivered the most consequential catch.

Love completed 24 of 46 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Doubs caught eight passes for 124 yards, including the late reception that briefly put Green Bay in position to extend its lead. Golden added four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. The Packers had enough passing production to threaten Chicago through the final drive; their inability to turn that production into sufficient second-half points decided the result.

Chicago improved to 12–6 including the postseason. Green Bay finished 9–8–1. The Bears will host the Rams in the Divisional Round, with a place in the NFC Championship Game at stake.

The next round will require a new game plan. What Chicago earned Saturday was the opportunity to prepare one. After three quarters with six points, the Bears scored 25 in the fourth, took the lead and finally handed the game's last responsibility to a defense that finished the job.