CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams dropped back, pump-faked and found DJ Moore wide open down the sideline for the go-ahead touchdown.
His latest clutch throw propelled the Chicago Bears to yet another improbable comeback win and kept their breakout season going for at least another round of the postseason.
Williams came through in his playoff debut, throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Moore with 1:43 remaining, and the Chicago Bears rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the rival Green Bay Packers 31-27 in a wild-card game on Saturday night.
The NFC North champion Bears (12-6) extended their resurgent first season under coach Ben Johnson with their seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory. They split two down-to-the-wire games with Green Bay in the regular season, and this one turned out to be a thriller when it looked like it would be a breeze for the Packers (9-8-1).
Chicago trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 through three quarters, only to outscore Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth on the way to its first playoff win in 15 years.
“True belief,” Williams said. “Belief. That’s all you need. You got belief in the coaches that they’re gonna call the right play at the right time. You got belief in the players on the field that you’re gonna make the right play at the right time.”
After Williams connected with Moore to give the Bears their first lead since it was 3-0, Jordan Love led Green Bay into Chicago territory. But on third down at the 28, he dropped the snap, scrambled and heaved a pass to the end zone with no time left. Jaquan Brisker deflected the ball, setting off a wild celebration — and a curt handshake between Johnson and Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
The Bears will host a divisional-round game next weekend.
“We just keep plugging along,” Johnson said. “We keep fighting. We’ve been proving that this year. That’s who we are, that’s what we do.”
Chicago pulled within 21-16 on D’Andre Swift’s 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The Packers responded, with rookie Matthew Golden breaking three tackles and leapfrogging a fourth defender on a 23-yard catch-and-run for his first career touchdown, making it 27-16. Brandon McManus missed the extra point wide left.
The Bears went 76 yards, with Williams throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus and hitting rookie Colston Loveland for the 2-point conversion to make it 27-24 with 4:18 remaining.
The Packers then drove to the Chicago 21, only to come away with nothing when McManus missed wide right on a 44-yard field goal attempt. The Bears responded with the go-ahead touchdown drive and hung on for their first playoff win since the 2010 team beat Seattle in the divisional round at Soldier Field. They had lost three straight in the postseason, starting with a loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the NFC championship game that season.
Green Bay dominated Chicago for years. But the momentum in the NFL’s longest-running rivalry seems to be turning, with the Bears beating the Packers for the third time in the past five games.
“We’re here and I’m going to be here for a while, is my plan,” Williams said. “Be in a bunch of games, be in these moments and come out victorious. That’s the mindset for right now this year. That’s also the mindset for the future.”
The Bears envisioned nights like this when they drafted Williams No. 1 overall last year, and when they hired Johnson in the offseason. Williams delivered after a shaky start, throwing for 361 yards and the two late touchdowns. He completed 24 of 48 passes and was intercepted twice.
Loveland caught eight passes for a career-high 137 yards for the Bears, who had closed the regular season with tight losses to San Francisco and Detroit.
The Packers dropped their final five games. That certainly was not what they envisioned when they acquired star pass rusher Micah Parsons from Dallas in late August and sent expectations soaring. The two-time All-Pro suffered a season-ending knee injury in a Week 15 loss at Denver, and the defense struggled without him.
“I know we fought through a lot of adversity this year,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Unfortunately we didn’t do enough to overcome that adversity. That’s all of us collectively. We’ve got to do more.”
Love threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns after missing the final two regular-season games. He hadn’t played since a helmet-to-helmet hit from Chicago’s Austin Booker in the second quarter of a Week 16 loss at Soldier Field.
Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed each had TD catches in the first half. Ty’Ron Hopper stopped a threat in the third quarter when he intercepted a backpedaling Williams near the goal line.
“I don’t think it’s we don’t have the composure, I think it’s just the situation we put ourselves in,” Love said. “Jumping out to a lead and doing what we wanted in the first half and then the second half kind of a completely different story. I think for any team that’s going to be frustrating, and you’ve got to find ways to be able to overcome that and get back to it. I think we did, but it was just a little too late.”
Injuries
Packers: RT Zach Tom (knee) was inactive after missing the Packers’ final three regular-season games. … Backup OL Jacob Monk (biceps) left the game in the first half.
Bears: Johnson said LB T.J. Edwards (broken left fibula) is out for the remainder of the season, and LT Ozzy Trapilo (knee) likely is, too. Edwards was carted off the field in the second quarter after his left foot got caught up with the leg of Watson and bent awkwardly. He was fitted with an air cast before he was taken away. Trapilo was hurt blocking on a pass play on the go-ahead drive. … CB Kyler Gordon (groin) was activated from injured reserve after being sidelined since Week 13.
Up next
Packers: Start the offseason.
Bears: Host a divisional-round game against either the Los Angeles Rams or Philadelphia. The Eagles play San Francisco on Sunday, and the Rams knocked out Carolina on Saturday.
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