The Chicago Bears didn't exactly beat Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, but a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers still felt sweet. Rodgers sat out with a wrist injury and, in his place, was veteran Mason Rudolph who came up just short of the victory.
Late in the game, the Bears were up by a score of 31-28 (also the final score), and Pittsburgh had the ball on its own 28-yard line. It was third-and-four with just over two minutes remaining. Before Rudolph took the snap, however, Rodgers was on the sidelines losing his everloving mind.
"Oh my god! Wrong formation!" CBS cameras caught Rodgers obviously shouting from the sideline, placing his hands over his head.
The ball was snapped, and Rudolph took off for a Swift 22-yard gain, which was good enough for a first down. The only problem?
A flag was thrown immediately after the snap, and Rodgers knew it before the refs made it official.
Watching Aaron Rodgers in dismay for maybe the last time was comedy gold for Bears fans
It was at that moment that the Steelers would be backed up for a third-and-long and ultimately punt it back to the Bears with 1:53 on the clock. Whether or not the Bears punted the ball back to the Steelers, after that moment, it didn't matter.
Rodgers' face said it all. The Bears were going to come away with the win, in large part due to a silly penalty by the Steelers. What would have happened had the 22-yard scramble stood? In all likelihood, we'd have been set up for some more late-game heroics from Caleb Williams and company.
The Steelers very well could've gone on to kick a game-tying field goal, assuming the Bears' defense did their job and stopped them short of scoring a touchdown (while using all of their timeouts in the process).
It doesn't happen often; Rodgers losing to the Bears, especially at Soldier Field.
But this time, it was sweet. Even though Rodgers wasn't suited up, the Bears beat his team and watched him writhe in emotional pain on the sidelines.
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Is this Rodgers's last hurrah? Maybe, maybe not. Some believe he'll, in fact, come back for another season in Pittsburgh, especially if they come up just short this season. For now, though, Chicago got the last laugh -- literally.