Are you sitting down? Seriously. You’ll never believe this, all this misery and misfortune that continues smothering the Chicago Bears. With 4 minutes, 17 seconds to go Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears had a 19-14 lead over the rival Green Bay Packers with their established and strong-minded defense on the field and ready for closing time. One big stop and the team’s oh-so-painful losing streak would be over. So naturally the Bears ended up allowing a four-play, 78-yard touchdown drive, a Packers possession boosted by a 60-yard completion from Jordan Love to Christian Watson. With Jaylon Johnson, one of the league’s most reliable cornerbacks, in coverage. Why not, right? Two plays later, thanks to a 1-yard Love touchdown run, Green Bay led. Catch your breath. There’s more. Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson kneels near the bench after the Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers, 20-19, at Soldier Field on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) With 1:33 to play, the Bears were backed up and reeling, opening their game-deciding drive by allowing two sacks and losing 9 yards. So of course rookie quarterback Caleb Williams lifted them out of a third-and-19 hole and pushed them into field goal range. With a slow heartbeat and a trio of clutch throws, Williams put his fingerprints all over a potential game-winning drive in his first start of the storied Bears-Packers series. First-and-10 at the Packers 30. Only 35 ticks left. The giddiness inside Soldier Field was palpable. So naturally Bears coach Matt Eberflus opted to stay conservative. Even with one timeout left and the opportunity to continue advancing forward, Eberflus called for only one running play to Roschon Johnson, a play that shortened the game-deciding field goal attempt by just 2 yards. And of course Bears kicker Cairo Santos — with a good snap, a clean hold and a solid kick — heard the most horrific thud, the sound of Wilson leather against the gloved left hand of Packers defensive tackle Karl Brooks. That was the sound of defeat. Of Packers 20, Bears 19. Of a staggering last-place football team that can’t catch a break or buy a win right now. “It’s football,” Santos said. “There’s another team that’s trying to beat us. And sometimes you just have to give them credit for making a play.” Still, make no mistake, the Bears’ fourth consecutive loss cut deep. We’re talking jaw-dropping, stomach-dropping cruelty here. “It stings,” receiver Rome Odunze said. “It definitely stings.” Make it make sense. Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos stands alone after a 46-yard field goal attempt is blocked by Green Bay Packers defensive end Karl Brooks for a 20-19 loss at Soldier Field on Nov. 17, 2024. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) In his postgame news conference, Eberflus defended his decision to settle for a 46-yard game-deciding kick from Santos, who had communicated that his range extended to 57 yards while kicking toward Soldier Field’s south goal posts. “We felt good in terms of where the kick line was,” Eberflus said. “The wind was not a factor today. And Cairo has made a bunch of kicks from inside of that range. So we felt confident in Cairo and confident in our operation there.” But perhaps someone should school Eberflus on some of the most agonizing lessons in Bears kicking history. In January 2019, Cody Parkey’s “Double Doink” playoff gaffe came from 43 yards away in this same stadium — on a kick that was partially blocked at the line of scrimmage. And nine-and-a-half months later, Eddy Pineiro missed a game-deciding 41-yard field goal in a season-turning loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Wide left by just a few inches — after his head coach Matt Nagy chose not to run an additional play or two or three to shorten that kick. In these parts, it’s hard to ever feel confident enough, to feel safe enough. So even with Santos inside a comfortable range Sunday, set up ideally on the left hash and kicking with a left-to-right wind, the door was open a crack for a malfunction. “I hit the same ball I always hit,” Santos said. “I felt like it was right on line, right on target. (Brooks) just made a great play and put his hand right on the trajectory where the ball had started.” The Bears’ disbelief only grew after Packers players rejoiced inside their locker room with tales that they knew a blocked kick was coming at some point Sunday. Special teams coordinator Rich Bissacia had detected a small glitch in the Bears’ protection scheme and strategized to get extra penetration up the middle. That’s where Brooks came from on the game-winning block, right through the “A” gap between long snapper Scott Daly and left guard Matt Pryor. “I just got penetration,” Brooks said. “I just wanted it more. Got a hand up.” Added Packers coach Matt LaFleur: “Rich said to our team last night, ‘I will not understand if we come out of this game without a block.'” Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson leaps over Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine in the third quarter at Soldier Field on Nov. 17, 2024. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) The Bears were only in that situation, of course, because their defense blew its save opportunity. For the second time in 22 days. And with Johnson getting tangled up and tripping on the play that sprung Watson for 60 yards. The Bears cornerback spilled to the ground near the Green Bay 41-yard line. And Watson, after making a diving grab in open space, tacked on 41 yards after the catch to set up the go-ahead touchdown with 2:59 remaining. Then, as if Williams needed additional firsthand experience of what true Bears grief can feel like, his heroic final drive couldn’t produce a victory. Even with the escape act he performed on Kingsley Enagbare, slipping free from a sack, rolling right and hitting Rome Odunze for 16 yards. On the next snap, Williams delivered a fourth-and-3 conversion, again to Odunze, this time for 21 yards on a gorgeous fade in front of the Bears sideline. And on his final throw, he completed a 12-yard dart to Keenan Allen to move inside Santos’ field goal range. “When it comes to two-minute situations, it’s find your one-on-ones and find your guys,” Williams said. “When it’s time to make plays, make plays.” “That was great,” Eberflus said. “That was real quarterbacking at a high level.” Eberflus was correct in emphasizing there were encouraging signs folded inside Sunday’s loss. First and foremost, new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown helped propel the Bears to 391 total yards in his first game calling plays, getting the offense into a flow that hadn’t existed in the previous three losses. Williams, while far from spectacular, seemed to be in a much better rhythm too, throwing for 231 yards and rushing for 70 more. “He played well today,” Eberflus said. “He played winning football.” Terell Smith came up with a game-changing interception late in the first half, just in front of the goal line. That provided the day’s only takeaway, which the Bears converted into a 76-yard touchdown drive. DeMarcus Walker came up huge on the Packers’ two-point conversion play with 2:59 remaining, stuffing running back Josh Jacobs and giving the Bears a chance to win with a field goal on their final possession. 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Everybody had to lock in. We worked so hard to get that to where we were at. And we haven’t been able to finish the games we want. So that was just the leader in me trying to talk to my guys and affect them however I can.” Just a few minutes later, though, all the Bears were back in a stunned state of disbelief. “This one’s tough, man,” Walker said. Added running back D’Andre Swift: “I’m proud of the way we fought. I wish it would have ended differently. … I’ve been on the side of this type of stuff too many times. More than I can count. But now it’s back to work. It’s all we can do.” With four consecutive losses and each one twisted in its own way, the Bears’ season has been knocked way off course. The cumulative toll is adding up.