This wasn’t the first time Chicago erupted into cheers this season.
Die-hard Bear fans saw their team erase fourth-quarter deficits, score go-ahead touchdowns, and make last-second stops before, but this… was different.
The crowd of over 60,000 in Soldier Field dressed head to toe in navy cheered even harder, even longer, even louder. Bars across Chicago could barely contain the noise the patrons made. The floors of households from Evanston to Naperville could barely hang on as the homeowners stomped across.
This wasn’t just any old win. This was a playoff win. The first one this city had seen in fifteen years. A playoff win, they had to rally from an eighteen-point halftime deficit to win—a playoff win over the team’s most hated rival, the Green Bay Packers.
A playoff win they’ll never forget.
DIGGING A HOLE
But for most of that night, it looked like the game would be unforgettable for the wrong reasons. As mentioned earlier, Green Bay stormed out to a 21-3 lead in the first half.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love was on fire, lighting up Chicago’s defense with three touchdown passes in the first half. His receivers zoomed by defensive backs like speed demons on the freeway.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) scores a touchdown against Chicago Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) during the first half of the game on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Wm. Glasheen / USA Today Network-Wisconsin).
The Bears, on the other hand, were stuck in a ditch with their hazards on. Head Coach Ben Johnson seemed to go back to the philosophy he learned under Dan Campbell in Detroit by going for it on all of the fourth downs.
Unfortunately, his team only managed to convert one of the fourth attempts, resulting in just three points at the break. The crowd’s energy from the start of the game dissipated.
The deficit could’ve been even larger had Green Bay’s kicker Brandon McManus not hooked a 55-yard field goal wide of the goal posts as the first half ended. This most certainly would just be a one-time occurrence and have zero impact on the game later.
RISE AND FALL
The second half presented some opportunities to get back into the game for the Bears, though. The Packer offense, which looked unstoppable in the first half, was stopped repeatedly. Four straight punts to begin the half.
Slowly, but surely, the Bears managed to claw back into the football game. A couple of field goals from kicker Cairo Santos and a touchdown from running back D’Andre Swift made it 21-16.
However, the Green Bay offense hummed back to life as rookie receiver Matthew Golden scored his first career touchdown by making Bears defenders look buffoonish on his way to the end zone.
But then, McManus struck again. He pushed the extra point to the left, which kept the lead at eleven. Chicago wouldn’t need two touchdowns.
But on their next drive, they would need to convert a massive fourth down. Eight yards to go on their own 43. If they didn’t get this, their hopes were as good as dead.
THE SPARK
Quarterback Caleb Williams took the snap and faced pressure up the middle. He did what he does best and escaped to his left, desperately searching for an answer to his prayer. Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie chased after him and dove at his ankles. Williams hopped into the air and let the pigskin leave his hand.
It traveled through the air and descended into a sea of blue and white jerseys, where somehow, some way, it wound up in the arms of receiver Rome Odunze for the first down. Through sheer magic, Chicago was still in the game.
They capped off the drive with a touchdown throw to receiver Olamide Zaccheus and the two-pointer on top to tight end Colston Loveland to bring the Bears to within three.
Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) makes a catch against Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) during the second half of the game on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images).
The Packers punched back, though. A bomb to receiver Romeo Doubs, and they were deep in Bears territory. With just under three minutes to play, they lined up for another kick, this one to make it a six-point game.
But, of course, McManus missed. Strike three for Green Bay special teams, and all Chicago needs is a field goal with all the time in the world.
TO THE SURFACE
They used this time to reach midfield quickly, with only two minutes to play. On 2nd and 4, Williams rolled to his right and fired a pass to receiver D.J. Moore. It fluttered off his fingertips and skipped onto the weathered grass.
The crowd sighed. He has to catch that.
He would.
Two plays later, Moore found himself wide-open for the go-ahead touchdown. 31-27. 1:43 to go.
ONE LAST GASP
However, the Packers now had all the time in the world and a timeout to boot. A dart to Golden resulted in a fourth-down conversion. A short pass to receiver Romeo Doubs got them on the Bears’ side of the field with 44 ticks remaining, no timeouts left.
Love found receiver Jayden Reed for a deep completion over the middle, but an injury timeout meant an extra ten seconds ran off the clock.
22 ticks.
After a few incompletions, the game came down to one final play. Seven. Seconds. Left.
Every single fan in that stadium was on their feet. Hearts ready to burst out of their chests. They had seen these sorts of games before. The kind where the Packers rip their hearts out at the last possible moment. The 2010 NFC Championship, 4th and 8 in 2013, and the blocked field goal in 2024 are just a few plays that come to mind.
This year’s Chicago defense had prided itself on bending, but never breaking. They would need to hold serve, one more time.
Love stood in shotgun formation, the snap rocketed back to him, and slipped through his fingers. He picked the ball right back up and scurried around, avoiding the pressuring Bears.
He directed traffic in the end zone, but couldn’t do so for long. He had to just get the ball there. He lofted the pass, and it was…
Incomplete. Bears win.
An explosion of joy in Chicago.
Against all odds, the Cardiac Bears delivered another victory. They had saved their best for the end yet again, as they scored 25 of their 31 points in the fourth quarter alone. They looked like a completely different team.
When asked about his halftime speech, Johnson said that he had shown his players the New England Patriots’ comeback from down 28-3 in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the season to remind them that, “This has been done before and rather than saying “woe is me” and “we’re in a hole”, it’s more this is a great opportunity for us to turn this thing around into a game that we’ll never forget.”
They certainly did that. In a season where all three matchups against the Packers were battles that came down to the wire, the third chapter would be the one that proved to be the biggest of them all.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) leaves the field in celebration after the game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images).
GAME BALLS
Colston Loveland: His second game ball of the season for catching 8 passes for 137 years as a rookie in first career playoff game, the first rookie tight end with 100+ receiving yards in a playoff game since the Eagles’ Keith Jackson in 1988.
Montez Sweat: His second of the season for notching a sack and consistently pressuring the passer in the second half. He helped keep his team in the game in the second half.
Caleb Williams: His second game ball of the season for throwing for over 360 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He made the plays when his team needed it.
NOT FINISHED YET
This Wildcard win means that the Bears will be advancing onto the next round, where they will host the Los Angeles Rams, coming off a shootout win in Carolina.
The Rams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and the Bears’ defense will have its hands full trying to slow down their offense.
Chicago’s already used a lot of magic to get to this point, and no one would be surprised if there’s none left in the hat. But if a few bounces go their way, and the game’s close in the fourth quarter, they might just be able to find that little extra to survive and advance.
