After a season in which the Bears answered opportunity's knock seemingly at every winding turn, Chicago once again seized the moment in the Wild Card Round.
The Bears scored on all four of their fourth-quarter possessions (25 points) to erase a 21-3 halftime deficit and produce a remarkable 31-27 win over the Packers, advancing Chicago to the Divisional Round for the first time since 2010.
Chicago's 14-season drought without a postseason win was tied for the third-longest in the NFL entering 2025. The Bears ended those woes with the largest playoff comeback (18 points) in franchise history, and doing it against their heated rival from Green Bay made Saturday's victory all that much sweeter.
"There was probably a little bit more noise coming out of their building up north to start the week, which we heard loud and clear, players and coaches alike," Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. "This one meant something to us."
Caleb Williams delivered a resilient performance in crunch time, orchestrating a six-play, 66-yard drive in the final minutes that culminated with a touchdown pass to DJ Moore for the go-ahead score.
"Once we lined up, I actually knew that we were about to hit it just off the demeanor of the guys on the other side of the ball," Williams said of the game-winning play. "Just had a feeling that that was going to be the one. Guys did a great job. O-line did a great job blocking. Guys did a great job selling the fake, and then obviously DJ going up the sideline."
In the possession prior to the game-winning drive, Williams marched the Bears toward a must-have TD when down, 27-16. After finding Olamide Zaccheaus in the end zone, Williams delivered an accurate laser to Colston Loveland for a crucial 2-point conversion.
Loveland was one of several Bears who aided Williams' effort along way. He served as Williams' most reliable target with eight receptions for 137 yards, becoming the first rookie tight end to have eight-plus receptions and 100-plus yards in a playoff game in league history, per NFL Research.
D'Andre Swift also came up clutch down the stretch, producing 92 scrimmage yards, a good chunk of which came in the fourth quarter, including his 6-yard TD run that was the first of three straight drives that hit pay dirt.
The Bears defense also stepped up late, halting Green Bay's final charge with an incompletion at the goal line with no time remaining. Dennis Allen's unit began the second half by forcing quick punts on the Packers' first four possessions, which allowed Chicago's offense to climb out of an early rut.
Chicago produced just three points in the first two quarters, a first half that saw Williams throw two interceptions and the offense turn the ball over on downs twice. Still, Williams and Co. never wavered in the face of adversity, just as they've done all season.
Saturday night's dramatic comeback was Williams' seventh fourth-quarter comeback of 2025, including playoffs -- the most in a season by any QB under the age of 25 in NFL history, per NFL Research. Finishing 24-of-48 passing for 361 yards, Williams also joined Hall of Famer Kurt Warner as the only players in NFL history to have at least 350 passing yards and win their playoff debut.
Like his head coach indicated in the aftermath, the Bears' burgeoning star QB knew how special this one was against the Packers.
"Yeah, they wanted us. That's what I heard." Williams said of the Packers. "They wanted it and they got it."
