Once again, down to the last play.
A familiar sight for Bears fans, as this was the eleventh game of the season to be decided by one score. It was only fitting that this would be true for the finale as well.
Only this time, the game wasn’t in the hands of Chicago; it was in Detroit’s. Their kicker, Jake Bates, lined up in the green Soldier Field grass for a 42-yarder with two seconds left that would give his team the win.
Bears fans hollered out, doing anything they could to throw him off his game. The snap was good. The hold was good. And the kick sailed through the uprights.
Bates didn’t even need to watch it go. He knew he got the Lions a closeout win and sent the Bears tumbling into the postseason by a score of 19-16.
THE STAKES
Despite being a matchup between two solid teams in the final week of the regular season, there wasn’t a whole lot on the line in terms of the playoffs.
The Detroit Lions were already eliminated from playoff contention following their horrific performance against the Minnesota Vikings in a 23-10 Christmas Day loss. That being said, a Dan Campbell-coached unit always lays it all on the line and plays spoiler against a divisional opponent, especially to secure a winning record for the year.
And while many teams rested their starters in the final week, Detroit didn’t. Chicago didn’t either. The Bears were playing the same Lions squad that molly-whopped them back in Week 2, 52-21, and they were eager to show the world that they were a different team now.
Head Coach Ben Johnson, former Lions Offensive Coordinator, stated after the game that his mindset was, “Some teams, they rest their starters. We don’t. We play football.”
Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney (62) and center Drew Dalman (52) run onto the field before the game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images).
FIRST HALF
This game began the same way the first one did, as Detroit marched the ball down the field with ease and bent Chicago’s defense to its will. This time, though, Chicago didn’t break and held Detroit to field goals on each of their first two drives.
The Bears’ offense was a different story, however. The team struggled to do anything with the football, opening the door for the Lions to finally break through with quarterback Jared Goff throwing a touchdown pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs to make it a 13-0 ballgame.
That touchdown slap was finally enough to get Chicago’s offensive machine to run a little bit, but it ultimately sputtered on a failed fourth-down attempt deep in Detroit territory.
Fortunately for the Bears, Bates’ field goal just before halftime hooked left, keeping the deficit at thirteen.
At this point, Jared Goff had carved up Chicago’s secondary and served them for dinner as he had over 200 yards at halftime, while Bears quarterback Caleb Williams failed to cook anything with his measly 45 yards.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) readies to throw against the Chicago Bears in the game on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images).
SECOND HALF
The kitchen disaster escalated as Williams threw an interception in the second half. At the same time, Goff let his offense simmer, controlling the clock and putting Bates in position to kick another field goal, bringing the score to 16-0 entering the fourth quarter.
In a game meant to be a final statement just before the playoffs, the Chicago Bears were laying an egg bigger than Humpty Dumpty.
But then, something funny happened. As soon as the final quarter began, the Bears seemed to transform into an entirely new football team.
Williams fired a laser into the endzone for receiver Jahdae Walker, who made the catch for Chicago’s first points. Running back Kyle Monangai followed that up with a tough run on the two-point conversion to make it a one-score game.
Next drive, same story. The Bears went down the field with ease, and tight end Colston Loveland stayed in bounds for the team’s second score.
Fellow tight end Cole Kmet hung on through a big hit on the two-point conversion, and just like that, the scoreboard read sixteen all.
Where had this Bears team been all game long? The world may never know. The Cardiac Bears work in mysterious ways.
Their magic appeared to continue to help them as Goff threw an ill-advised pass that safety Jaquan Brisker knocked up into the air and ended up in the hands of safety Kevin Byard III for a pick.
This was it. Chicago had the ball with all three timeouts at their own 26 with 2:11 remaining. This was the time when Williams would lead his team to yet another come-from-behind victory and storm into the playoffs ready to take on the world.
But they didn’t. Williams threw an errant pass that resulted in an intentional grounding call, and the Bears punted the football back to Detroit.
Goff redeemed himself with a big completion to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to put the Lions in field goal range, one of eleven catches that he hauled in for 139 yards.
Bates lined up his kick, planted his foot in the dirt, and ended Chicago’s hopes of a vengeful comeback.
He was understandably pumped up and celebrated with all his teammates. On the other side of the coin, the Bears’ sideline looked the same way it did for most of the game. Dejected.
Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates (39) celebrates with his teammates after hitting the game-winning field goal against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images).
Players timidly kept their hands in their pockets, let their heads hang low with drooping towels over their heads, and trudged to midfield to shake hands with their opponents.
That’s exactly what the two head coaches did, too. Johnson and Campbell met each other halfway, shook hands, exchanged a few words, and went on their way.
For Campbell, it was a bittersweet end to a disappointing season. For Johnson, a bump in the road whose effects he will hopefully mitigate in the coming weeks.
THE FUTURE
Luckily for Chicago, thanks to Philadelphia’s 24-17 loss to Washington, they are still the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will take on their hated Packers on Saturday night in Soldier Field.
These two teams have already met twice this season, splitting the series. Both games were filled with excitement and came down to the wire; the third contest is likely to be more of the same.
It’s almost like a broken record, but this is Chicago’s biggest game in a long while. Their last playoff showdown against the Packers was in 2010, when Green Bay beat the Bears in Soldier Field en route to a Super Bowl win.
It’ll be a tough road for Chicago to make that happen, given their inconsistent play and the sheer strength of the rest of the bracket, but in a weird season such as this one, NBA Legend Kevin Garnett’s famous quote rings true: “Anything’s possible!”
