Ben Johnson's Bears are playoff bound. Thanks to their stunning comeback win over the Packers Saturday night and an equally surprising Lions loss at home to the Steelers Sunday.
"This is a special group." Johnson says.
"I felt that early in the season, you get some of those wins- the Raiders game, the Washington game, you start feeling the belief coming."
In Detroit's (Bears-helpful) loss at home to Pittsburgh, 29-24, two Lions touchdowns were taken away by penalty in the final minute, including Amon-Ra St. Brown’s offensive pass interference negating a winning TD on the last play of the game.
It will be the Bears first trip to the post-season in five years, when the 2020 Bears went (8-8) and lost in round 1 in New Orleans, 21-9, in January 2021.
"This group (2025). I'm talking about coaches and players combined ...it's rare, it really is." According to Johnson.
Saturday night's winning play over Green Bay at Soldier Field is still playing on a loop in Bears fans minds if they're not actually watching it again on their device right now.
Caleb Williams 45-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Moore settled the Bears overtime win over the Packers, 22-16.
"I love every second of it. I love games like this." Running back Kyle Monangai says.
"That's what we are now. We're 'Chicago'. That's what we do- playing in big games and big moments everybody stepping up having the faith and believing we are going to get it done."
Caleb Williams says the winning TD toss to Moore was days in the making.
"That play went in this week. Ben and I were up watching film in his office and we just kind of went over small details throughout the play. The next day we came out, discussed it and hit it in practice and it ended up working out just how we thought."
It took Cairo Santos' odds-defying on-side kick recovery to keep the Bears comeback hopes alive vs Green Bay.
"Probably the best I've ever hit that kick. Once I hit it it kind of bounces away or wants to do it. It had that perfect face to it to allow my guys to go in and recover it."
Santos and Williams are hold-overs from last season's (5-12) Bears team.
"These moments are awesome. Truly, they're awesome." Williams says.
"To be able to have these moments, to be a part of these moments, I've been lucky enough to come out on the right side of a lot of them."
Williams and the Bears have an NFL-leading six comeback wins in the fourth quarter or overtime this season.
The Bears have won seven of eight games and lead the Packers by one-and-a-half games with two games to play in the race to win the NFC North division and the right to host a home playoff game.
While the Bears wait to play again at San Francisco Sunday night, a Packers loss at home to Baltimore Saturday would give the Bears the division crown.
The (11-4) Bears still have a chance to finish first in the NFC. Only the top seed in each conference gets a first-round bye. Currently Seattle is on top at (12-3) and plays next at Carolina, Sunday at Noon.
Potential tie-breakers between the Bears and Seahawks are; NFC record (currently tied at 7-3), then record vs common opponents (TBD), then strength of victory/schedule (TBD).
The Bears last post-season win came against Seattle in 2010.
Wherever the Bears end up playing it will be just the sixth season in the last 30 they've made the playoffs.
It’s been 40 years since the 1985 Bears won the franchise’s only Super Bowl.