The Chicago Bears (11-4) delivered another late-game comeback win in week 16, taking down the Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) with a 22-16 overtime finish.
The win, which evened the season series between the two teams, gave the Bears a two-game lead for the NFC North title while simultaneously helping to clinch a playoff berth ahead of the penultimate week of the regular season.
It was not always pretty for the eventual victors, but the Bears flashed the big-play ability and confidence in the clutch moments that have led to six fourth quarter comebacks on the season. To see how the Bears added their latest such win, look no further than these three key stats:
53%
Saturday featured the second slow start for this Bears offense versus the Packers, but the home team found its groove when it mattered most, recording 53% of its total yards in the fourth quarter and overtime.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Bears' offense faced a 13-3 deficit and had the ball with just 187 total yards. In their comeback, the offense gained 213 total yards, including 70 of their 150 rushing yards and 143 of their 250 passing yards. More important than their yardage, the Bears scored 19 points, including two passing touchdowns after the 59:30 mark and a pair of clutch Cairo Santos field goals.
It took a strong effort from the totality of the offense to generate the 10-point comeback, but the performance of Caleb Williams stands out as a key factor. Besides two perfect touchdown throws to (essentially) tie and win the game, the quarterback finished with no plays going for negative yards and failed to turn the ball over.
Saturday's win marked the third time this season that the Bears have recorded 400 total yards or more, and with over half of that total coming between the fourth quarter and overtime, the offense proved again to be one of the toughest in the league to keep down for 60 (or more) minutes.
109
With Rome Odunze and Luther Burden II both missing the game with injury, the Bears' passing attack needed someone to step up, and DJ Moore answered the call with a crucial 109 yards of total offense.
Outside of his walk-off 46-yard touchdown, Moore had a productive day, picking up 51 yards on four catches and a 12-yard rush before his game-winner. His first game with over 90 total yards this season, Moore led the offense in total yards and targets, with his score marking his third touchdown in two weeks.
Moore was such a big part of the Bears' passing attack that his 97 receiving yards were 54 more than the team's second-leading receiver, Kyle Monangai, who netted 34 of his 43 receiving yards on one play. Outside of Monangai, the only other Bears player with even a third of Moore's receiving total was Olamide Zaccheus with 33.
Moore's touchdown, which came against the same defender who briefly injured him in the first quarter, was perhaps the most important play of his Bears tenure thus far. Still, his reliability throughout the game was key to reaching overtime in the first place.
0/5
Defensively, the Bears played with a "bend, don't break" mentality, allowing drives to go down the field and ultimately allowing a touchdown on zero of the Packers' five red-zone possessions.
From the game's opening drive, the Packers found success getting into scoring position. Outside of their two quick possessions to send the game to halftime and overtime, the Packers' offense had seven total drives. Five of those drives matriculated down to within the Bears' 20-yard line, but the defense was able to hold the Packers to four field goal attempts and a Josh Jacobs fumble forced by Nahshon Wright.
It was not always pretty for the Bears, who allowed 192 yards on the ground and through the air, but the unit did its part by preventing touchdowns, keeping the game close. They certainly threw a curveball with Malik Willis, who brings a different skillset and play-calls than Jordan Love, who exited the game with a concussion. Still, the Bears' defense did a great job of quieting the Packers' offense (outside of a Romeo Doubs 33-yard score).
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Simply put, if the Bears had allowed a touchdown on any of Green Bay's red-zone possessions, the game likely would have gone a different way. While Caleb Williams and the offense will and should get a lot of credit for the comeback, the defense's consistency when it mattered most should be respected.