Three Takeaways from the Bears' rivalry win over Packers

Mark Hoffman - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

What we witnessed on Saturday night was pure pandemonium as the Chicago Bears pulled out a 22-16 overtime win against the Packers. The win kept the Bears in first place in the NFC North for at least another week, if not for good, but there are far more telling storylines from this win.

For starters, this team was dead to rights for three quarters and found themselves down by 10 in the fourth. That was until Chicago scored 10 points in the game's final minutes, aided by a clutch onside kick recovery and a fourth down reception to undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker in the back of the endzone.

That is the true definition of cardiac kids as the Bears have put together more come-from-behind wins this season than any other team in the league, and continue to pile up wins by one score or less. Most people think the Bears are frauds because of that, but winning by one score is crucial to long-term success, as it proves you not only know how to win close games but can find different ways to win them no matter the situation. Here are some takeaways from the game on Saturday.

Officially Playoff Bound

For the first time since 2020, your Chicago Bears are headed back to the postseason as they have clinched a playoff berth. It's an accomplishment many thought could happen, but no one expected Ben Johnson to have this team in this position so quickly.

The last time a first-year head coach came in and got the Bears into the playoffs was Matt Nagy, who went 12-4 in his first year enroute to an NFC North title. We all know how that ended, as that was the infamous double doink against the Eagles in the playoffs, so hopefully this season comes with a better result in the playoffs.

Even if the Bears didn't clinch a playoff berth on Sunday, as the Steelers did by knocking off the Lions, Chicago can now head into the final two weeks knowing they are officially in the postseason. That takes some of the pressure off them to close out the season as they will look to clinch the NFC North with one more win and have two games to do it.

Far too many penalties

Anytime you can beat the Packers the way the Bears did, you tend to ignore the flaws of that game. Despite the win, Chicago was far from perfect as plenty of things could've prevented them from winning this game. Not having your two best pass catchers was a concern going into the game, and through three quarters, the Bears were struggling to get much of a passing game going, which is why points were hard to come by.

They eventually figured that out in the fourth, but it was the penalties that were a massive concern in this one, as the Bears continue to be one of the most penalized teams in the league. Not only do they lead the NFL in presnap penalties, which have to change, but Chicago had several costly penalties early in the game that extended drives and eventually led to points.

That included a roughing-the-passer call on Austin Booker, which ultimately knocked Jordan Love out of the game and changed the overall complexion of how things could have gone. In total, Chicago had double-digit penalties for the third time this season and was penalized for more than 100 yards.

Those are numbers not sustainable for long-term success, so to come away with a win despite that many penalties is an impressive feat. Johnson has been hard on his team all season when it comes to penalties, and although things had gotten better up until Sunday, it's clear they have tons of work to do. Expect them to be much better in that regard in the coming weeks, as they will need to be near-perfect the rest of the way to achieve their goals.

Caleb Williams moment

Say what you will about Williams and his overall inconsistency over his first two seasons. The bottom line is that he is the most talented Bears quarterback, arguably of all time, and has all the tools to become a franchise player. Despite his struggles, Williams has had his moments where he looked the part of a franchise quarterback, but Saturday was the moment the Bears were waiting for as he finally had his moment under center.

Williams has come up clutch all season, and more often than not, it has led to a game-winning score or at least set the Bears up to win later. However, nothing was as good as what he delivered on Saturday. With a chance to put the Packers away in Overtime, Williams went for the kill and hooked up with DJ Moore for the walk-off 47-yard touchdown. The touchdown was one thing, but the throw was another.

Not only was his throw about as perfect as you could make, putting it in a spot where only Moore could catch it, but it traveled 58 yards through a stiff 30 MPH wind, which goes to show the arm talent Williams has. It's that type of big-play moment the Bears have been waiting to see, and now that Williams has made the throw of his life, the narrative is going to change from here on out about the type of player he is.