The most improbable of wild, late rallies in a season full of them has given the Chicago Bears firm control of the NFC North and put them on the verge of clinching a playoff berth. 10 thoughts after DJ Moore ran under a 46-yard bomb from Caleb Williams — the ball cutting some strong crosswinds — for a walk-off touchdown in a 22-16 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Soldier Field, a play that sent the crowd of 60,152 into hysteria. Want the latest Bears news? Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune to read it all — and sign up for our free Bears Insider newsletter. 1. So much had to go right in the closing minutes for the Bears to even be there, hanging around with a shot to exact revenge on the Packers for a loss two weeks earlier at Lambeau Field. Bears coach Ben Johnson celebrates the win with wide receiver DJ Moore after his game-winning catch in overtime to defeat the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) That was one of the rare games — with a chance at the end when Keisean Nixon intercepted Caleb Williams in the end zone with 22 seconds remaining — in which the Bears came up short this season. The Bears have been so good making their own breaks and capitalizing late in games all season. Las Vegas, Washington, Cincinnati, Minnesota and against the New York Giants. Five wins after trailing with two minutes to play. But those are all lower-tier opponents. This was the Packers, the team that had won 26 of the last 31 meetings between the rivals, including 28-21 on Dec. 7 in Green Bay. No one knew what to expect from the Packers, who were reeling after a brutal loss six days prior in Denver. Edge rusher Micah Parsons, the player the Bears designed their game plan around for the first meeting, suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Safety Evan Williams and right tackle Zach Tom both suffered knee injuries that kept them out of this game. The Bears were dealing with their own issues as two of their top three receivers — Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III — were sidelined. It looked like the kind of game the Bears might try to control on the ground and own the time of possession while keeping the ball away from Jordan Love. The Packers flipped the script, though. They came out with a physical edge and took command early, controlling game flow and having chance and chance again to almost put the game away even after Love left with a concussion in the second quarter following a hit to the head by defensive end Austin Booker. The Packers weren’t just 0-for-5 in the red zone, they were 0-for-5 in the low red zone — 10-yard line and in. They turned the ball over on downs. Cornerback Nahshon Wright ripped the ball out of the grip of running back Josh Jacobs at the 2-yard line, and there were three chip-shot field goals for Brandon McManus. It wasn’t a banner day for Dennis Allen’s defense, but the Bears made the Packers trade touchdowns for field goals, allowing them to hang around just enough for … a wild series at the end. A 43-yard field goal from Cairo Santos with 1:59 remaining. An onside kick recovery — that went right off the Packers’ Romeo Doubs, the guy they wanted to field the ball. Williams’ fourth-down touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker in the face of an all-out blitz. A fumble recovery on a botched fourth-down play by the Packers in overtime. A jaw-dropping throw from Williams to end the game as he sidestepped linebacker Quay Walker and still launched the pass. “This is a special group,” coach Ben Johnson said. “I felt that early in the season. You get with some of those wins, the Raiders game and the Washington game, and you start feeling it, the belief coming. It’s rare. It really is. I can’t say enough good things about the people in this building.” How rare was the win? The Packers did not punt. The last time the Bears didn’t force the opponent to punt and won the game was Nov. 25, 1945, when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-7 at Wrigley Field. It happens to be the second time in two months it has happened to the Packers, who also didn’t punt in a 16-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 2 at Lambeau Field. A Christmas wish was fulfilled for a fan attending their first game, here in the third quarter between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) Every once in a while, teams put together seasons like this that are defined by special wins, the kind that bond a locker room and bring coaches and players closer together. Confidence and belief truly can make an impact on a team when things are rolling, and that’s sure the case with the Bears, who improved to 11-4. They would clinch a playoff berth Sunday if the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Detroit Lions at Ford Field or if the game ends in a tie. The Bears are 1½ games ahead of the Packers (9-5-1) in the division. Goals that seemed far-fetched to pretty much everyone outside the building are just about within reach. And this will perhaps be remembered as the most dramatic victory of the season because of how it ended — and, of course, because it was against the Packers. “It feels like since I’ve been here, for the last five years, everything has gone wrong,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “You’re bound to get at least one thing going right. Good to get the onside kick and then we took advantage of it from there. I would love to see the probability of us winning that game.” Related Articles Week 16 recap: Chicago Bears pull off improbable rally and stun Green Bay Packers 22-16 in overtime Week 16 photos: Chicago Bears 22, Green Bay Packers 16 (OT) Inside the Caleb Williams-to-DJ Moore OT touchdown for a Chicago Bears win that ‘blew up’ Soldier Field Undrafted Jahdae Walker grabs game-tying TD for the Chicago Bears: ‘We put that in our rookie’s hands’ Bears sorprenden a Packers y se imponen 22-16 en tiempo extra tras remontada More like the improbability of winning the game. According to NFL’s NextGen Stats, the Bears’ chances were at 0.5% before the onside-kick recovery. “A game that will be remembered forever,” Kmet said. “It was a special game to play in. It was awesome.” It’s possible the Bears could clinch the NFC North as early as next weekend. They weren’t fixated on that at all in the locker room. It has been quite a journey for Johnson and his staff. Imagine how general manager Ryan Poles feels. His proclamation from the introductory news conference four years ago — “We’re gonna take the North and never give it back ” — has been a punchline at times. Now the Bears are close to taking it and they have 11 victories, which is four fewer than the organization accumulated in Poles’ first three seasons combined. “Ryan’s done a great job bringing this collection of people together,” Johnson said. “They’re mentally tough. They’re physically tough. I know we’re going to fight you for 60 minutes and a game like that, even though the odds are against us there that late, we’re going to keep on swinging and make some plays when we needed to.” There’s plenty from this effort that has to be cleaned up. It has to be a little concerning they couldn’t take control of the game sooner with Malik Willis having to replace Love. The offense didn’t get sparked until late. The pass rush is not at the level anyone desires. It’s hard to imagine the Bears pulling this off if Parsons had played. But that’s the kind of year it has been, and the Bears owe no apologies. “It’s just going 1-0 each week,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. “Whatever that looks like. if it’s in a dramatic fashion like this, we have the right guys in the building to get it done. We know that we don’t want to win like that all of the time.” 2. Depending on the perspective, the Bears won this game with their red-zone defense — or the Packers blew it repeatedly as they neared the goal line. Packers quarterback Malik Willis slides on a run play in the fourth quarter of a game against the Bears at Soldier Field on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) The Bears have no shot for heroics at the end if the Packers would have punched the ball in on one of those trips. Their first four possessions (not including a kneel-down just before halftime) reached the low red zone. Then they made a fifth trip into the red zone, and not a single one resulted in a touchdown. The Packers ran 19 plays inside the red zone. That’s a wild amount. They ran 70 offensive plays, so 27% of their snaps came in the red zone. As much success as they had moving the ball downfield, they just couldn’t find the end zone. “We pride ourselves at being good in the red zone,” nose tackle Andrew Billings said. “We said, ‘They ain’t gonna win this game kicking field goals.’ If they were going to let us hang around, we were going to get ’em. We did.” The Packers’ lone touchdown came at the end of the third quarter when Romeo Doubs shook C.J. Gardner-Johnson at the line of scrimmage. Once Doubs got past him, there was no catching up for Gardner-Johnson, who pulled up after reaching the end zone with what the team announced was a knee injury. Give Gardner-Johnson credit. He had close coverage on Christian Watson on the first red-zone visit, when Jordan Love’s throw on fourth-and-1 from the Bears 7-yard line was incomplete. Watson was running an out-route at the goal line and Gardner-Johnson was right with him. Middle linebacker T.J. Edwards had good coverage on Watson on the next red-zone trip. The Packers ran a Cover-2 beater, and Edwards did a nice job with his body position as Love looked for Watson in the back of the end zone. The biggest red-zone play happened early in the third quarter after Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal drew the Bears within 6-3. The Bears didn’t get the stop they needed. The Packers went straight downfield with Willis looking poised for a backup and mixing in some zone read. It was first-and-goal from the 4 when Josh Jacobs was trying to move the pile, and defensive end Dominique Robinson got ahold of Jacobs. Cornerback Nahshon Wright came in from the side to rip the ball out, sort of like he did in Philadelphia against Jalen Hurts on the Eagles’ “Tush Push.” Tremaine Edmunds recovered the fumble, and the Packers were turned away again. “I definitely was holding Jacobs when Nahshon got to him,” Robinson said. “That’s his specialty now too. He’s turned into a monster. You hold him up and Nahshon comes around, he’s going to get that ball out. “We were told before the game if we could hold them to threes, we were going to win this game.” Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) and middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) celebrate after Edmunds recovered a fumble in the third quarter of a game against the Packers at Soldier Field on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) On a final red-zone trip, the Packers were forced to settle for a field goal. Malik Willis didn’t try throwing the ball into the end zone at the end. Maybe he was coached to be conservative there. The field goal gave the Packers a 10-point lead they should have been able to hold. But the Bears can be stingy in the red zone, especially with Edmunds back on the field. Consider opponents were converting 33.7% of third downs with Edmunds in the lineup and then 46.2% over the last four weeks when he was sidelined — and that includes a lousy 4-for-14 by the bad Browns offense last week. Edmunds’ skills that help the defense on third down are highlighted in the red zone as well. He’s a barn door in coverage. He’s big and long and it’s hard to throw around him. Plus, he can run. “We feel we’re always going to be a good defense in the red zone,” Edmunds said. “It just so happened we did a good job tonight.” There’s plenty that needs to be better. The Bears can’t count on the next opponent being that bad in the red zone. Take out the kneel-downs at the end of the second quarter and the one-play possession (sack) at the end of the fourth quarter, and the Packers’ possessions netted 46, 70, 91, 62, 64, 53 and 43 yards. That’s moving the ball. “That certainly is problematic,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “That’s two games in a row, I want to say, that we haven’t been very good down there. So we’ve got to look at what we’re asking our guys to do and how we can go out there and execute a little bit better.” 3. Sometimes plays in the game look just about how they do on the practice field. Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) makes the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime of a game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) catches the game-winning touchdown in front of Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) in overtime Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) celebrates after making the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime of a game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) celebrates after an overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) celebrates his game-winning touchdown catch in overtime to defeat the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)Show Caption1 of 5Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) makes the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime of a game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)Expand The game-winning touchdown pass was one of those plays, but the Bears were not dealing with the same kind of wind when they repped it Thursday afternoon at Halas Hall. That’s what had Cole Kmet, one of three tight ends on the field for play, still beaming more than a half hour after the game. “Felt like it hung up there forever,” said Kmet, who was pass blocking along with Durham Smythe. “I don’t know if there’s anybody else in the league that can make that throw.” Maybe Josh Allen, right? There are certainly some other quarterbacks with cannons. “I really don’t know,” Kmet said. “With the wind as it was. To be able to put touch on a pass like that but get it through the wind, it’s pretty epic.” The 46-yard touchdown pass traveled 56.9 yards in the air, according to NextGen Stats. “Going into the game, we had a lot of ammo, a lot of shot plays we could call if we needed them, and we’d talked about it,” Smythe said. “That was one of them. Obviously, perfect timing. Gotta have a special guy throwing the ball to get it up and down from there. I’ve never seen anything like that. That’s pretty impressive.” Moore ran a post and was the primary read. Colston Loveland was a No. 2 option underneath. Keisean Nixon, who leveled Moore from behind earlier in the game, was in coverage and was lined up with outside shade. There’s no safety over the top. Nixon was in a tough spot. He was not going to be able to make a play on the ball unless it was underthrown and it wasn’t. Williams dotted it on the upfield shoulder, everything you teach a quarterback. First-and-10 was the perfect spot for one of the shot plays the team had been working on. “That was one that we put in and we ran in practice on Thursday and it almost looked identical to that,” Ben Johnson said. “I thought Caleb threw a dime in practice and DJ came down with it, and we’re hopeful that it may or may not be there, but we timed that one up right. DJ ran a great route and Caleb threw him a great ball.” HEROICS FROM THE BEARS pic.twitter.com/hkw7S72TMj — NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025 Moore figured he was getting the ball when he saw how the Packers were lined up. They brought pressure. They had to gamble a bit to create a negative play as the Bears were approaching the outer edge of field goal range. “Just had to run like I did in practice and connect like we did at practice,” Moore said. “It was really a practice rep thing, but we hit it in the game.” Said Williams: “Ended up working out just how we thought.” Not every play translates from practice to the game, however. Take for instance the botched direct snap to Kyle Monangai on fourth-and-goal from the Packers 4-yard line in the first quarter. Oof. Kmet was lined up under center, as if he was going to take the snap. But Dalman’s snap was way too high for Monangai, resulting in an 18-yard loss and a turnover on downs. If the Bears had scored a touchdown there, perhaps the game takes on a different complexion. “We got our short yardage plays during the week and that was one that we felt strongly about, obviously,” Johnson said. “Probably last thing in my mind was that the ball was going to go over the head (of Monangai).” Said Dalman: “100% on me. (Monnagai) is lined up deeper than where the quarterback is and I overcompensated. I snapped it too high.” Dalman said the play was practiced a “good amount” during the week. “Didn’t execute in the game. It’s on me,” he said. You have to figure the Bears wanted Monangai to attack one of the edges on the play because they were trying to sell a sneak by Kmet there. The Bears entered with the NFL’s second-ranked rushing offense and they tried to get fancy — and it blew up. “(Johnson) was kicking himself,” Kmet said. “He came in at halftime and he was pissed at himself for calling that, ‘That’s on me.’ “But we feel like we need to execute that play. I know to you guys it looks like a trick play. Really, all it was is a direct snap to the running back. We’ve done wildcat stuff before. Little bit of a high snap. He felt like it was probably not the right call in that moment, but on our end, we feel like we have to execute it.” 4. The deeper the Bears get into the season, the more ways the special teams unit is finding ways to come up with big plays. Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos (8) celebrates after an overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) The Bears don’t pull off the rally without the onside kick by Cairo Santos, the second he’s pulled off in two seasons. Maybe it won’t happen regularly — he’s 3 for 20 on onside kicks — but this end-over-end ball he drove into the ground was a beauty. We’ve seen him kick spinners before. Kickers try to mix it up and the Bears came up with the right play here and then got the recovery. It’s been a focus for the special teams unit ever since what Daniel Hardy, who was in the scrum for the ball, called the “cluster (bomb)” game at Cincinnati back on Nov. 2, when pretty much everything that could go wrong went very wrong. “That was very uncharacteristic of our team,” Hardy said. “We want to be able for Ben Johnson, offense, defense, whoever, when they need us to make a play, we don’t want to anyone to have any doubts. We want them to be able to depend on us. That’s what every week we step on the field to prove. That’s what we did today.” Santos got the ball set quickly for the onside kick after hitting a 43-yard field goal with 1:59 remaining. The hope was he would make the field goal with more than two minutes remaining so the Bears would save the two-minute warning. “I knew the situation,” he said. “I tried. We were waiting for the K-ball there. I was focused on making the kick first. Yeah, I knew, I was trying to aim to have it before the two-minute (warning), but I am just glad we made the kick first.” Fair point. If Santos missed the field goal, the game almost surely would have been over. He made it and that led to the onside kick, which he then sort of hurried to kick once everything was set. It was part of the strategy. “Good job to guys for being set and just waiting for the opportunity,” Santos said. “We just needed the ball to take a good bounce and give us a chance.” Bears recover the onside kick GBvsCHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/gabjYXsJXB — NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025 Whether the Packers were completely ready, who knows? Based on how they were aligned, they wanted the ball to go to starting wide receiver Romeo Doubs. He just couldn’t make the play. He looked a little hesitant at first and then the ball clanged off him. “It was a perfect pace to it, bounce and then it was unpredictable the way it was bouncing,” Santos said. “It was probably the best I’ve ever hit that kick. Once I hit it, it kind of bounces the way it wants to do it. But it just had the perfect pace to it to allow our guys to go in and recover.” Blackwell, who had the blocked field goal to seal the win at Las Vegas, was right place at the right time with Hardy and linebacker Noah Sewell in the vicinity as well. “We always believe,” Blackwell said. “Guys were talking like, ‘We’re fine. We’re gonna score right here, get an onside, score again, and we’ll win.” Said Hardy: “That’s a Bears play right there. Everyone doing their job.” It shouldn’t be overlooked that Santos connected on three field goals from 46, 51 and 43 yards. On television, it was evident how much the wind was playing with the flight of the ball flight. That’s a different animal at Soldier Field because the wind isn’t always the same at each end zone. In other words, it could be in the kicker’s face in both directions at various times. 5. At 3:42 p.m. Saturday, more than 3½ hours before kickoff, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, with a call sheet in hand, began working his way around Soldier Field. Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle stands on the field as players warm up for a game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) He occasionally would glance down at the sheet while, in his mind, an actual game was happening around him. Third-and-8 on the opponent’s 32-yard line. What’s the call? First-and-10 from your 17, what are you doing? It’s a routine the 29-year-old offensive coordinator has gone through pregame since he broke into the NFL as a low-level assistant with the New Orleans Saints at 22. Before every game, even last Sunday when the temperature was hovering just above zero three hours before kickoff of the game against the Cleveland Browns, Doyle went through the paces, a process that can take him upward of a half-hour. Doyle views it as an important step in preparing him for the opportunity to one day be the guy with the headset making the calls as the play clock winds down and a quarterback is waiting for his decision. “I knew someday I wanted to be a play caller,” Doyle said. “And I knew the first time I called a play it probably wasn’t going to be in a high school game. It was probably going to be in a bigger setting and I needed practice for that. Basically, my way to supplement the learning process was to start doing that.” So, in New Orleans Doyle would build a call sheet with his own set of openers and then in a mostly empty stadium with only workers preparing for the rush of thousands of fans, he’d go through the process of calling plays for three or four offensive drives, imagining the different scenarios that could occur — sudden change, red zone, backed up deep in his own end, two-minute, you name it. Who does what in the Chicago Bears organization? Here’s a breakdown. “You’re visualizing the play and the defense and the problems that could happen and you’re kind of evaluating it as you go,” Doyle said. “I find myself always putting the offense in poor situations. You’ll be like, ‘Ah, holding. All right. First-and-20, what am I going to call now?’ “You’re trying to practice for those times where there’s a little bit of uncertainty for how that would go and how fast your mind has to be to process that.” Doyle has had one opportunity to call plays. Ben Johnson gave him the responsibility during the second half of the second preseason game, a 38-0 win over the Buffalo Bills. “It felt like all of that stuff, I had done it before,” Doyle said. “It’s no different than anybody trying to acquire a skill. You have to practice it before you go do it. That’s always been my mindset.” Doyle has been joined by Antwaan Randle El, the wide receivers and assistant head coach, who has his own call sheet and goes through the paces at the same time. Chicago Bears assistant head coach/wide receivers Antwaan Randle El (right) gives some directions to his players n the first quarter of a game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) The practice helps prepare them for being a call or two ahead, understanding what kind of situation they could land in on third down, and even setting up calls that play off a similar formation and look in future possessions. “It’s not just as it relates to our game plan,” Randle El said. “I am calling it so I can stay in the practice of doing that. It’s hard to get a chance to call it in preseason when you’ve got the head coach calling the plays and you’ve got the coordinator, who is probably going to get a chance to call it in preseason a couple times. So, the receiver coach, assistant coach, you’re probably not getting that shot.” Coaches’ schedules are so packed that there isn’t a lot of time during the week for career enrichment like this. There is time three hours before kickoff, and as Randle El said, when you wait until the end of the week you’re working off a full game plan. Column: Al Harris has made an impact on the Chicago Bears for years. And wherever he goes, takeaways follow. Doyle first got to know passing game coordinator Press Taylor in a phone conversation during the summer of 2024 when they discussed the art of practicing to be a play caller. Taylor, who was the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville from 2022-24, used to do it watching games in his office on Thursday nights. “It’s just a way to say, ‘What would I do in that situation?'” Taylor said. “The call sheet is good, but nut-cutting time comes down to when it’s third-and-goal at the 11-yard line. Do you have a call you love? If I can prepare that from Monday to Saturday, Sunday is a lot easier. The first time I came up on the situation, it’s third quarter at Lambeau on third-down-and-goal, and it’s shoot, maybe I didn’t plan for the unexpected.” By going through the exercise while watching a game, Taylor was pushed into all sorts of random positions in terms of down, distance, field position and game situation. Doyle said he knows defensive coaches, including New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn, who have used similar training exercises. “Defensive guys have the benefit of watching a game and the offense coming on the field, and it is realistic to what they could be seeing versus where I am calling a personnel or we’re putting personnel on the field, that dictates what we’re going to see from the defense,” Doyle said. “And so they could sit there and just watch a game in their office and call a game in their head. ‘Hey, I’m seeing 11 personnel and I am going to call this defense.’ And then the next snap, ‘It’s second-and-6, here’s my defensive call.'” Occasionally, there are obstacles on the field. Before the Week 11 road game against the Minnesota Vikings, a collection of mascots was playing a pickup game on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium. So, Doyle and Randle El had to navigate their game as they walked the field and envisioned a game for which they were calling plays. It’s something Doyle figures will give him a head start if and when the opportunity arises to do more than call plays in an exhibition game. “I came up with it on my own,” he said. “I was really thinking if I don’t prepare this way and I ever get the chance to do that, I’m going to be that far behind versus if I am preemptive about that and thinking that way. I am going to be flawed but I will correct my thinking and that line of thought as I go and it will get better and better.” 6. We’ll see if the league fines Austin Booker for one — or both — roughing the passer penalties against Jordan Love. Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker (94) tackles Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) in the first quarter of a game at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2025. A roughing the quarterback penalty was called on Booker on the play. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) The second penalized play — when Booker got helmet-to-helmet contact with Love — knocked the Packers quarterback out of the game with a concussion. The Bears were penalized 10 times for 105 yards on Saturday night. It’s only the second time they’ve made more than 43 penalty yards in a game since Oct. 26 at Baltimore, so they’ve cleaned things up by and large. The second roughing call — when Love was knocked out — happened midway through the second quarter. It was play action, and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter got some penetration, which led to Love to try to step up. That’s when Booker, who finally came free on extra lineman Darian Kinnard, got Love in his sights. “I’m just playing football, making a tackle,” Booker said. “He ducked his head and football plays happen.” I asked Booker if he felt like he hit Love with the crown of his helmet. There are replay angles that appear to show that. “Not at all,” he said. “I am playing football. Trying to go hit some people.” The game isn’t played in slow motion or freeze frame and there’s no clicker to back things up. Booker isn’t out to hurt anyone and Love was definitely bracing for contact before Booker hit him, which led to his head dipping a little. Hit the quarterback in the head, they’re going to call it whether his head is moving or not. And they might just fine Booker. “If they want to, they can,” he said. “Shoot, we’re just playing football. Whatever happens, happens. I pray for him but he’s out there on the football field just like everybody else. Injuries happen every day. Football is football.” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said “stuff happens,” and Green Bay has had more than its share of that “stuff” lately with injuries. “I just know when a guy gets hit in the head like that, I was prepared for the worst, I would say, in that moment,” LaFleur said. Packers left guard Aaron Brooks took issue with Booker’s hit. “What’s the flag they called on that, roughing the passer?” Brooks said according to ESPN. “I just don’t know, guys get kicked out of games for taunting, but if you hit a quarterback late in the head, you know what I’m saying? That should get the same treatment for something as simple as taunting. I think that has to be re-evaluated. I think that’s ridiculous.” Brooks’ frustration is understandable, but the hit wasn’t late. 7. In the weeks leading up to the 2010 NFL draft, I had a conversation with Drew Fabianich, then a national scout for the Dallas Cowboys. Bears safety Major Wright (27) heads to the end zone after intercepting Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford for a touchdown in the Bears' 37-13 win Nov. 13, 2011, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) I figured the Bears were going to be in the market for a safety as they’d been going through young ones almost annually, and Al Afalava wasn’t exactly a hit. I was curious who he thought they’d pick in the third round at No. 75 (the club was without selections in the first two rounds). If he had to pick one, what safety would GM Jerry Angelo be taking? “I’m going to have to call you back on that one, pardner,” Fabianich said with his southern drawl. It must have been four days later when Fabianich called. “The Bears will take Major Wright at No. 75,” Fabianich declared. “They’re going to want Morgan Burnett, but he’ll be gone.” As the third round got rolling, both safeties remained on the board. Then, the Green Bay Packers acquired the 71st pick, trading third- and fourth-rounders to the Philadelphia Eagles for the choice. The Packers picked Burnett. Four selections later, Wright became a Bear. Fabianich continued to be gold over the years foretelling Bears’ draft picks, suggesting way ahead of time Leonard Floyd and Roquan Smith were ideal picks for the organization. Now, he has taken his talent for skill evaluation to Mobile, Ala., where he’s in his first year as the executive director of the Senior Bowl. I haven’t run across another personnel man possessing a similar combination of conviction and accuracy when forecasting the draft — and I’m always looking for them. So, Fabianich was the perfect person to turn to for a thumbnail sketch of the 2026 draft at a different time of year for the Bears. Instead of focusing on draft position in late December, the franchise is zeroed in on playoff seeding. But draft preparation continues, as always, and GM Ryan Poles had his staff of scouts at Halas Hall for meetings this past week. The Bears have been a regular in the top 10 for more than a decade, making draft chatter a big part of the conversation before Thanksgiving most seasons. Bears’ selections in the first round since 2015 2025: No. 10 2024: No. 9 2023: No. 1 (traded to Carolina Panthers) 2022: No. 7 (traded the year before to move up for Justin Fields) 2021: No. 20 (traded to move up for Fields) 2020: No. 19 (traded in Khalil Mack deal) 2019: No. 24 (traded in Mack deal) 2018: No. 8 2017: No. 3 2016: No. 11 (traded up to No. 9 for Leonard Floyd) 2015: No. 7 With the exception of 2016, when they had the 11th pick in the draft, the Bears have been in the top 10 every year but in the three drafts following the acquisition of Mack. The team made two playoff appearances (2018 and 2020) with Mack and lost in the wild-card round both times. Barring some kind of big trade up, the board will look different when the Bears’ pick comes up in 2026. They chose Fields with the 11th pick in 2021. Before that, the last pick the team made in the first round outside of the top 10 was in 2014, when cornerback Kyle Fuller was the choice at No. 14. One explanation for the Bears’ struggles over the last decade-plus is they didn’t turn all the premium draft capital into much. Fuller was selected to two Pro Bowls. Mitch Trubisky was named to one Pro Bowl and Mack had three Pro Bowls for the Bears. The roster is in better shape now, and Ben Johnson and the coaching staff have gotten much more production from depth through the season. Every personnel man is going to have a different take on the draft — especially this far out — but I asked Fabianich about a handful of positions that could be key to the Bears. Left tackle: “It’s not bad. Depending on a couple of juniors, if they come out, there are four pretty damn good left tackles that are going to be out there,” he said. Defensive line: “Last year, the interior was really strong and there were not a lot of edge rushers last year,” Fabianich said. “It’s flipped. There are a lot of edge rushers this year and it’s really strong with defensive ends and edges but the tackle group is not as good. That’s high-end guys, there is some depth. There are some really big noses in this group that are more than just space eaters. They’ve actually got a little bit of pass rush to them.” Cornerback: “The corners are about the same as there were last year,” he said. “There are some high-end guys and there will be guys until about the fourth round. It falls off after that.” Safety: “Safeties are good at the top two or three, but then it’s just a good class after that,” he said. “There’s not a lot of numbers in the safeties or inside linebackers. I don’t think high schools and colleges are producing those positions just because of 7-on-7 and spread offenses. Guys don’t want to play those positions anymore or at least that’s my opinion.” Fabianich said the tight end class could rival the 2025 group that saw five selected in the top 50 picks. Guard is down this year, in his opinion, and there’s depth at wide receiver but a shortage of No. 1 targets. Sure is different to be in late December and not be talking about a pick in the top 10 and specific targets. 8. East Chicago Bears, anyone? Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren walks on the field before a game against the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) The organization released a letter from President/CEO Kevin Warren to fans at 5 p.m. Wednesday announcing anything and everything is in play in terms of a site for the team’s new stadium, including northwest Indiana. Who knows, maybe there’s enough land at the site of the defunct Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha? It would be a hop, skip and a jump from Halas Hall. Seriously, as best I understand the situation, the Bears are eyeing the possibility of putting up a stadium in Hammond. Either that or before lawmakers return to Springfield in 2026, the team is attempting a leverage play as it seeks public funding for infrastructure around Arlington Heights that could approach $1 billion as well as tax breaks. “This is not about leverage,” Warren wrote in the letter. If you have to say it’s not about leverage, it’s only about leverage. The franchise’s stadium pursuit has become such a flip-flop operation, at this point it’s literally all over the map. Pick a town, any town. From Jan. 7: “Downtown still remains the focus,” Warren said at an end-of-season news conference. “The museum campus. I feel that we made a massive amount of momentum. Again, I’ve been here 20 months and we’ve made great progress. But along those lines, we own 326 acres of beautiful land in Arlington Heights. It’s a fantastic piece of property. We were able to get the memorandum of understanding done there. So optionality does exist, but I’ll remain steadfast that the goal remains that we have shovels in the ground in 2025 and I’m confident that will happen.” Warren went on to hint there would be evidence of that momentum and progress come spring or summer. A Bears digital billboard glows at sunrise just off of Route 53 at the former Arlington International Racecourse on May 23, 2025, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) By spring, the Bears publicly pivoted to Arlington Heights, and Warren reemphasized that in a letter to fans on Sept. 8, hours before the kickoff of the season that night. “Moving outside of the city of Chicago is not a decision we reached easily,” Warren wrote. “This project does not represent us leaving, it represents us expanding. The Bears draw fans from all over Illinois, and over 50% of our season ticket holders live within 25 miles of the Arlington Heights site.” The Bears shifted the goalposts, if only a little, to say the goal was to move some dirt before the end of the year. Well, 2026 is coming fast. It’s 11 days away. No word what percentage of season ticket holders live within 25 miles of Hammond. It’s roughly 27 miles from Soldier Field and 66 miles from Halas Hall. For staff living near the facility and the families of players and coaches, you’re talking about a nearly 140-mile commute for home games. What to know about the Chicago Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field It would be a heck of a move, although not quite as far as the San Francisco 49ers went. Levi’s Stadium opened in Santa Clara, Calif., in 2014, and is 39 miles from the location of their previous home at Candlestick Park, which was in San Francisco. However, the 49ers were headquartered in Santa Clara when they played in San Francisco, so the stadium switch actually centralized their operation. The Bears have spent hundreds of millions to make Halas Hall one of the elite facilities in the league. It dwarfs what a lot of other clubs have and it’s impossible to imagine the McCaskeys desiring to move their hub any decade soon. There’s been a dizzying amount of back-and-forth since the Bears entered into a purchase agreement with Churchill Downs for the Arlington Park site on Sept. 29, 2021. How long ago was that? Well, Matt Nagy was still coach of the Bears, Ryan Pace was the general manager and Caleb Williams was a backup to Spencer Rattler at Oklahoma. Related Articles Week 16 recap: Chicago Bears pull off improbable rally and stun Green Bay Packers 22-16 in overtime Week 16 photos: Chicago Bears 22, Green Bay Packers 16 (OT) Inside the Caleb Williams-to-DJ Moore OT touchdown for a Chicago Bears win that ‘blew up’ Soldier Field Undrafted Jahdae Walker grabs game-tying TD for the Chicago Bears: ‘We put that in our rookie’s hands’ Bears sorprenden a Packers y se imponen 22-16 en tiempo extra tras remontada Reality is this stadium-site search is an odyssey that has been going on for nearly 55 years. The Bears left Wrigley Field after the 1970 season, signing a three-year lease that included two one-year options to play at Soldier Field. The goal was for Soldier Field to be a temporary home as the club sought its own stadium. It’s been a rock fight with the team losing countless rounds since then with the exception of the Soldier Field remodel completed in time for the 2003 season. At an Arlington Heights board meeting on May 28, 1975, George Halas declared: “In 1977, the Bears will play in Arlington Heights.” He pledged to sign a 35-year lease if an 80,000-seat stadium was constructed adjacent to Arlington Park. High bond costs sacked that plan. In September 1975, the Bears floated the idea of moving to Dyche Stadium. An Evanston city ordinance prohibited that. In 1978, Bears President George “Mugs” Halas Jr. threatened to leave Soldier Field because concerns the team raised with the Chicago Park District were not being adequately addressed. “I think it’s time we started taking off the gloves,” Halas Jr. told the Tribune’s Don Pierson. “Maybe we’ve been quiet too long.” In 1980, the Bears hinted they might move home games for that season to Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., something that turned into a negotiation tactic. Countless other locations have been floated over the years. In June 1991, the Bears targeted nine suburban sites for a new stadium, including West Chicago, Waukegan, Arlington Heights and Hoffman Estates. This was after the McDome project, slated for Gary, Ind., fell apart. “The nine look like there is some promise on assistance with land acquisition, infrastructure and taxes,” Bears director of team administration Tim LeFevour told Pierson. Maybe this is Warren taking the gloves off with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers by announcing northwest Indiana — and wherever else — is in play. Indiana would bend over backward to land the Bears. Hoosiers would not only provide the shovels, they’d send a limousine for the McCaskeys and roll out a red carpet. Think about it. The Bears could arrange to play the Indianapolis Colts to end the preseason every year. They could name it the I-65 Bowl. Since hiring Ben Johnson in January, the Bears’ fortunes have turned dramatically on the field. In the same period, progress off the field is impossible to measure unless you’re counting the number of open letters to fans. If Pritzker and Co. call the latest move a bluff, then what? 9. What’s the No. 1 seed in the playoffs worth? Fans wave towels as the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers kick off Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Since the NFL expanded to a 14-team system in 2020, the top seed in the conference is the only club to earn a bye. Of the 10 No. 1 seeds (in both conferences) since 2020, one has won the Super Bowl (the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII), four have reached the Super Bowl and lost, two have lost in a conference title game and three were one-and-done in the divisional round, including the Detroit Lions last season with Ben Johnson as offensive coordinator. Perhaps the more telling statistic is that only one non-division winner has reached the Super Bowl in the current format. That was the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had the No. 5 seed and won playoff games at Washington, New Orleans and Green Bay to reach the Super Bowl and then smashed the Chiefs. That was a special run Tom Brady led. It’s hard to go on the road and win in the postseason, and it’s even more difficult to pull it off in two or three consecutive weeks. That’s why at least winning the NFC North and gaining a minimum of one playoff game at Soldier Field is such an important goal for the Bears. The Seattle Seahawks (12-3) will end this week as the top seed in the NFC after their own wild overtime victory Thursday night over the Los Angeles Rams. Right now, the Bears are the No. 2 seed, but the slate of games is incomplete. Monday night is must viewing for the Bears. The San Francisco 49ers (10-4) face the Colts in Indianapolis. A Niners win would move them to No. 2 and drop the Bears to No. 3 and set up a huge showdown next Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. With a Colts win, the Bears would stay at No. 2. The Bears have what amounts to a little more than a two-day-rest advantage over the 49ers for that game because the Niners will have to fly home from Indianapolis after the game Monday night. That could be significant in Week 17. It’s possible the Bears still could hunt down the top seed in the NFC. Figure they would need to win out and get some help. The key is at least starting a playoff path at home because the wild-card route is a path full of serious obstacles. 10. Great poise by Caleb Williams to back pedal in the face of a Cover zero pressure on the 6-yard touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker. Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker catches a touchdown against the Packers in the fourth quarter on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) That’s what a quarterback has to do in that instance to buy a little more time, which in this case gave Walker more room. The Packers blew coverage on the play. Keisean Nixon or Nate Hobbs — one of them — needed to follow Walker, the undrafted rookie free agent from Texas AM. Both went inside. Walker was uncovered. “I know to the people that haven’t been in the building, it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to the undrafted rookie on fourth down,'” coach Ben Johnson said. “Well, we see what he does every single week. We see how he goes about his business. There’s a reason why we didn’t want to expose him to the waiver wire and someone poach him after the preseason. “We see a bright future for this guy. He’s done nothing but steadily improve over the course of the season. The coaches trust him. Caleb trusts him. When it’s a big moment like that and you’re not sure exactly what coverage they’re going to be in, as I described the play, anybody could get that ball depending on what they call. I had a lot of confidence that he was going to come down to get it and so does Caleb. So that’s where we’re at as a team right now. I feel like everyone trusts that whoever’s out there on game day, they’re going to come through for us. It doesn’t matter who it is at this point.” It’s really something when you start going through the roster and noting the number of backups, practice squad guys and players added since the start of the season that have had moments — big plays in wins — this season. That’s a combination of work done by the front office and then the coaching staff and I think the players do a good job of sort of helping newcomers get up to speed too. Walker isn’t new. He had a good camp and then dazzled in preseason. He got an opportunity created by injuries and more impressive was a 15-yard catch on an in-breaker in some traffic. The Bears have been holding on to Walker. He’s been one of the bottom guys on the 53-man roster — the sixth receiver — but there’s a reason they’ve been doing so. 10a. Have to see what else happens over the remainder of Week 16, but Johnson has to move up a little in the race for Coach of the Year honors, right? I checked Saturday morning and the field was pretty tight, and it was clear Seattle coach Mike Macdonald got a bump following his team’s win Thursday night. Fanatics Sportsbook still had New England’s Mike Vrabel (+175) as the favorite followed by Macdonale (+200), San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan (+400), Jacksonville’s Liam Coen (+750), Johnson (+800) and Denver’s Sean Payton (+1000). Like I said, Johnson for sure gets a boost for a prime time win over the Packers. Sometimes this award is just about done by now or a two-man race. You’re looking at a ton of possibilities here. That Johnson is even in the running is something is a testament to the work and belief he’s instilled in the building. I bet he’d be fast to want to include assistants, players, support staff and others. 10b. Here’s the comp that is intriguing: The 2025 Bears are like the 2024 Commanders. That’s what one pro scout said. “Got hot, started catching a lot of breaks then started making breaks,” he said. “Got good enough to go out and win two playoff games on the road and reach the NFC title game.” Here’s the comp that is not intriguing: The 2025 Bears are like the 2024 Commanders. Same pro scout. “All the breaks that went their way worked against them and they’ve totally fallen apart,” the scout said. “Four wins this season and a big mess.” This guy wasn’t drawing a clear parallel between the Bears and Commanders but he did say he thinks some of the instant success for the new coach — Johnson for the Bears and Dan Quinn last year in Washington — and some of the fluky finishes make for a real comparison. It’s not a comparison game the Bears would want to take into the offseason, I know that much. 10c. One number that popped when I was looking at defensive statistics: Grady Jarrett was credited with seven tackles — three solos and four assists. That’s the most tackles Jarrett has since producing seven for the Falcons on Nov. 22, 2020, against New Orleans. Over the last three games or so, he’s starting to be a little more explosive and disruptive. 10d. On the look-ahead line at Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, the 49ers were installed as a 2 1/2-point favorite over the Bears for the Sunday, Dec. 28, game at Levi’s Stadium. 10e. The Bears are planning to stay over in the Santa Clara area after the game next Sunday. They figure the best approach for rest and recovery is to spend the night after the game with the return flight scheduled for about 9 a.m. on Monday. Typically, teams return immediately after a game but in the NBC prime time slot, that would have meant an arrival at O’Hare around 4 a.m. After a bus ride back to Halas Hall, players would have been getting home after 5 a.m. Now, they’ll arrive back from San Jose, Calif., around 3 p.m. the day after the game with at least a solid night of rest. 10f. Happy Holidays. Thanks for reading. ...read more read less