The Chicago Bears have built a reputation in the NFL as comeback kings, and they’re at their best in the fourth quarter. They salvaged their most miraculous win yet in the franchise’s biggest game in years, defeating the Green Bay Packers 22-16 in overtime to improve their record to 11-4.
The Bears were in no position to win this game after a poor first three quarters in which they only made one field goal in the third quarter. But in the red zone, the Packers defense performed well, going 0-for-5, giving Chicago a fighting chance heading into the fourth quarter.
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Quarterback Caleb Williams then turned into an iceman and scored four straight times, including a touchdown run by rookie wide receiver Jay’Dei Walker that sent the game into overtime, and a walk-off touchdown run by wide receiver DJ Moore that put the game on ice. After the miraculous victory, head coach Ben Johnson praised his team’s late-game heroics, which included
“This is a special group,” Johnson said. “I felt it early in the season. You get some wins, the Raiders game and the Washington game, and you start to feel it and the belief comes, but it’s not, and what I’m saying about this group of guys is a combination of coaches and players, and it’s just… it’s rare. It really is. I can’t say enough good things about the guys in this building. Ryan did a great job of bringing this group of guys together. It’s good. They’re mentally tough. They’re physically tough. I know we’re going to go out there and fight you guys for 60 minutes and have a game like this and even though the odds are against us, we’re going to keep trying and make some plays when we need to, so I’m very lucky to be able to coach these guys and not do anything that I take for granted, so I’m going to keep working hard and go from there.”
The Bears have found a lot of ways to win this season, including last-second comeback wins like this one. Johnson praised his team’s resilience even when things went south.
“I don’t think I’ve been around a team that didn’t bat an eye when it got this late in the game,” Johnson said. “At no stage do you feel hopeless. … They just keep pushing and they know that if we keep pushing, good things are going to come.”
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson reacts to fourth quarter comeback against Packers