Caleb Williams delivered the defining moment of his young career on Saturday night, throwing a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore in overtime to lift the Chicago Bears to a stunning 22-16 comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Chicago erased a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation, then capitalized on a Green Bay mistake in overtime to secure one of the most dramatic wins in the long, bitter history of the NFL’s oldest rivalry.
The Bears (11-4) extended their lead in the NFC North to 1½ games over the Packers (9-5-1) with two games remaining and moved closer to their first postseason appearance since 2020. It was also a measure of revenge for a loss at Lambeau Field just two weeks earlier.
Impossible was an apt description. With under two minutes left, Green Bay’s win probability peaked at 99 percent.
Chicago’s comeback began when Cairo Santos drilled a 43-yard field goal with 1:59 remaining to cut the deficit to 16-9. With no choice but to attempt an onside kick, the Bears caught a break when Josh Blackwell recovered it, igniting the crowd at Soldier Field.
Williams then engineered a desperate drive, capped by a gutsy fourth-down play. Facing an all-out blitz, the rookie quarterback lofted a perfectly placed pass to a wide-open Jahdae Walker in the right corner of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left.
Head coach Matt Eberflus opted for the tying extra point rather than a two-point attempt, sending the game to overtime.
Green Bay had a chance to answer first in overtime, driving to the Chicago 36-yard line. But on fourth-and-1, backup quarterback Malik Willis fumbled the snap, handing the Bears possession in prime field position.
Four plays later, Williams took a deep shot. Moore hauled in the winning touchdown despite tight coverage from Keisean Nixon, setting off a wild celebration.
Two weeks earlier, it was Nixon who sealed a Packers victory by intercepting Williams in the end zone. This time, Chicago flipped the script with a play the Bears had installed only days before the game.
Williams finished 19 of 34 for 250 yards and two touchdowns, tying Bo Nix’s NFL record for quarterbacks in their first two seasons with eight career fourth-quarter comebacks.
Moore led the way with 97 receiving yards, stepping up with Rome Odunze sidelined for a third straight game due to a foot injury. The Bears also extended their home dominance, winning their sixth straight at Soldier Field since a season-opening loss to Minnesota.
The Packers’ night was complicated by injuries. Already without star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week in Denver, Green Bay lost quarterback Jordan Love to a concussion in the second quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Chicago’s Austin Booker.
Love completed 8 of 13 passes for 77 yards before exiting. He had led two field goal drives and entered the game with nine touchdown passes and just two interceptions in five previous outings against Chicago.
Willis stepped in and played efficiently, completing 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Romeo Doubs caught that score and finished with 84 yards receiving, though he left the game with a wrist injury.
Counting the playoffs, the Bears entered the night having lost 30 of their previous 37 meetings with Green Bay since 2008. This win not only narrowed that gap but also carried significant postseason implications.
Chicago would clinch a playoff berth if old nemesis Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Packers: Host the Baltimore Ravens next Saturday. Bears: Visit the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 28.
For Chicago, a rivalry long dominated by Green Bay suddenly feels alive again — and on a frigid December night, Caleb Williams made sure this chapter belonged to the Bears.
