Caleb Williams hints toward a likely postseason reality as the Bears take another step closer to the playoffs
Could we see a third matchup between the Bears and Packers?
The Chicago Bears got a monumental and improbable win over the Green Bay Packers in overtime to get revenge for the Week 14 loss and split the season series against the division rival.
The way things ended last time and the way things were headed on Saturday, the Bears were thrilled with the final result in Week 16 and to finally take down the Packers in front of the home crowd.
“It means a lot,” Bears wide receiver DJ Moore said immediately following the walk-off touchdown in overtime. “And at the end of the day, it’s F the Packers always.”
Chicago’s win puts the Bears one step closer to securing a playoff position in the first season under head coach Ben Johnson, and in case you haven’t had enough of this rivalry and the Cardiac Bears, wait until you see how the playoff picture is looking in the NFC.
Bears might not be done facing the Packers this season after splitting the regular-season series
There are still two games left for the Bears and Packers, and neither team has clinched a playoff spot heading into the rest of the Week 16 slate. The Bears have a high percentage to clinch and host at least the first matchup in the postseason, and the Packers are very much still in the wild-card race despite dropping two straight games.
“I want to start off, that’s a helluva team over there,” quarterback Caleb Williams said after the game about the Packers. “A playoff team. We’ll probably see them again.”
As things stand, Williams is absolutely right. If the season ended today, the No. 2 seed Bears would host the No. 7 seed Packers in the wild-card round at Soldier Field.
Granted, there’s still a lot of football to be played over the next couple of weeks, getting one more game between the Bears and Packers in the playoffs this season would be incredible for both fan bases and the entire league.
“This has always been a big one,” Johnson said after the game on Saturday. “This is my first two games obviously (against the Packers), but it means a lot to the people in the organization, and it means a lot to the city of Chicago. It came down to the wire really in both the games. It’s going to be an exciting future, I think.”
Packers or not, the Bears can finally start thinking big picture toward the playoffs
With the win on Saturday, the Bears improved to 11-4 on the season and extended the lead in the NFC North. With a Detroit Lions loss or tie on Sunday, the Bears will clinch a playoff spot, and if the team wins each of the final two games, Chicago will win the NFC North title and host a playoff game. Even the path to the No. 1 seed in the conference is still alive.
It’s exciting for the team and the fans as the regular season starts to come to a close, with the thought that the Bears could still be playing when the playoffs begin.
“I think it’s good for our entire team,” Johnson said. “We got a lot of guys that don’t have playoff experience or don’t have meaningful games in December experience. It’s a little bit foreign territory for a number of them. We talk about keeping our poise and what it takes to win these games. I think we’re going to continue to get better and learn how to handle it.”
That kind of mindset has put the Bears in the position they’re currently in, and sustaining that mindset after a big win, as they had on Saturday, will help make this season last as long as possible.
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Caleb Williams and the Cardiac Bears pull off the improbable comeback to avoid disappointment in rematch vs. Packers
One of the most insane moments in franchise history.
