Takeaways from the Chicago Bears NFC Wild Card comeback win over the Green Bay Packers

In the history of the NFL, there are plenty of games with names attached to them.

The 1967 NFL Championship Game between the Packers and Cowboys is called "The Ice Bowl," the 1999 AFC Wild Card Playoff Game between the Titans and Bills is dubbed "The Music City Miracle" and the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoff Game between the Raiders and Steelers is forever known as the "Immaculate Reception." 

The Chicago Bears, or someone, can try and come up with a name for this specific game, the Bears' 21-6 comeback win over the Packers in the NFC Wild Card round.

Here are our takeaways from the Bears' NFC Wild Card comeback win over the Packers.

The Bears did to Green Bay what the Packers have done to Chicago

Bears fans’ recent and long-term memory regarding the Green Bay Packers includes very little happiness.

The Packers have already beaten the Bears 10 times in the 2020s. In the 2010s, the Bears won just four games against the Packers. The Bears haven’t had a winning record over the Packers in a decade since the 1980s.

Then, there’s the constant reminder that Green Bay enjoyed back-to-back Hall of Fame quarterbacks, while the Bears went from Cade McNown, with a total of 30 quarterbacks in between, before finally getting to Caleb Williams.

The Packers have a list of games that cause Bears’ fans heartache: 2010 NFC title game, the 2013 NFC North clinching game, the 2014 Sunday Night Football massacre and last year’s game-winning field goal block to name just a few.

Saturday night was the opposite.

Instead of the Bears having to endure a tragic and devastating loss at the hands of Green Bay, the Packers have to endure a devastating loss at the Bears’ hands.

This was the 21-3 Game.

"It's about time," Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon said. "It’s never always been a blowout or anything like that. It’s just a matter of having those details in the type of team with the same mentality that we got this year. When we got a team like this, anything’s possible."

The Packers talked, the Bears listened

Green Bay was certainly talking. After the game, the Bears made it clear they certainly heard the noise.

The Packers had words this week for the Bears, specifically about how the Green Bay players and coaches had a word or two.

"There was a lot of s**t talking this week," Bears safety Kevin Byard said. "Not even just today. During the week. We heard the noise from (Christian Watson) and Keisean Nixon and all the guys talking s**t. Even the DC was talking about, telling the media in Green Bay that ‘we’ll see you next week.’ We heard that loud a clear."

What really made it clear the Bears took this personally was Johnson taking note of it after the game. This felt like the first time all season that Johnson spoke of something outside of Halas Hall and internally that bothered him.

"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," Johnson said. "This one meant something to us."

The players noted this noise, too.

"All that is fueled to the fire, igniting our own motivation and all that stuff," Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon said. "You just mix it in the pot, it just wants to explode.

The Packers even riled up the mild-mannered linebacker D’Marco Jackson.

"We always say, it gotta come through here," Jackson said. "F Green Bay, that's all I gotta say with that."

Now, the Bears get the last laugh. They won two of three this year over the Packers, but the cherry on top of it all is how the Bears sent the Packers home and into the offseason.

The Bears can say whatever they want now. They get the final word in this rivalry for the first time in a very, very long time.

"They wanted us. That's what I heard," Williams said. "They wanted it and they got it."

Caleb Williams’ first playoff game makes you wonder what the ceiling is

The first half was forgettable for Caleb Williams, sure. But, that’s been the norm for him in the last few weeks.

He entered the fourth quarter down 21-6 having thrown two touchdowns and converting on just 1 of 5 fourth-down conversion attempts, and left the field with two touchdown passes, 361 passing yards and another fourth-quarter comeback.

That 361 passing yards also set the franchise record for most passing yards in a postseason game, according to Bears communications. His 24 pass completions were the second-most in a postseason game in franchise history.

"The more opportunities he has normally the more explosive we become on offense as well," Johnson said. "So it was just one of those things I think he just started feeling it there in the fourth quarter and made some big plays for us."

The biggest plays came in the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter alone, Williams threw for 195 yards, two touchdowns and a 110 passer rating. His throw to Rome Odunze on fourth and eight to keep a drive, and the game, alive was as off balance as a quarterback could be.

Watching the replay, and it doesn’t look like one, maybe even neither, of Williams’ feet were on the ground when he threw the ball. It was a perfect ball to Odunze, too.

"It's fourth down. I got to put the ball in play," Williams said. "Rome went and made a great catch, adjusting to the ball. I threw him up field. I think 25 was trailing him and so put it up field a little bit. It creates an awkward angle for him and makes it a little bit easier to catch for Rome."

For Odunze, it was just another example of Williams’ abilities.

Those abilities have translated to the playoffs seamlessly.

"It’s the best throw until he makes the next best throw, you know what I'm saying?" Odunze said. "You could say that every week with this dude. Man, he's a spectacular talent. Super happy to be his teammate and watch him thrive out there."

The Bears’ pass rush was the unsung hero

The Bears only recorded one sack Saturday night. That was Austin Booker.

In the first half, the pass rush was non-existent, too. However, in the second half, the Bears’ pass rush turned up.

It became one of the reasons why the Bears’ forced four straight punts in the second half.

"We were doing so great in the first half," Packers coach Matt LaFluer said. "And then the second half was a different story."

It didn’t show on the statsheet with sacks. But, it did show up as the Bears recorded eight quarterback hits. Booker had two. Montez Sweat had three.

In a game where the Bears needed the pass rush to make Packers quarterback Love uncomfortable, the Bears found a way to bring it when it mattered the most.

"I think we didn't do as good of a job picking that stuff up," Jordan Love said. "It kind of hurt us, not being able to pick those up and make those big plays down the field. So, yeah, it's something, like I mentioned before, we'll look at. But it definitely hurt us."

Injury updates

The Bears came out of this one down two starters.

After the game, Johnson mentioned starting linebacker TJ Edwards suffered a fibula fracture. He also said starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered a patellar tendon injury. Both players are expected to miss the rest of the season.

"We'll see what those guys are like tomorrow time just to be sure," Johnson said. "Doesn't look good for either one of them."

Linebacker D’Marco Jackson will fill Edwards’ spot at middle linebacker. Theo Benedet will most likely slot in at left tackle. 

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