Bear Digest

Chicago Bears' Comeback Win Over Packers Named NFL's Top 2025 Moment

One season after being victims of the NFL's play of the year on a Hail Mary pass, the Bears have their own top moment of the season amid seven comeback victories.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams celebrates with fans at Soldier Field after his 46-yard TD pass to DJ Moore beat the Packers in OT, 22-16.
Caleb Williams celebrates with fans at Soldier Field after his 46-yard TD pass to DJ Moore beat the Packers in OT, 22-16. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Cosmic justice came to the Bears Thursday at NFL Honors.

After the 2024 season, the Bears had to endure the ignominy of seeing the Hail Mary pass by Jayden Daniels against them named NFL Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year. It wasn't bad enough how they had to see the mistake by Tyrique Stevenson for a game-winning Commanders touchdown replayed over and over, but Daniels and Co. were actually rewarded for it by the league with that honor.

One year later, it is the Bears who have benefited from the season's greatest moment. The 46-yard touchdown pass Caleb Williams threw to DJ Moore to finish a comeback and beat the Green Bay Packers 22-16 in overtime was named the NFL Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year at NFL Honors.

It's the first time the Bears were ever honored for such a  moment. The league started recognizing the top moment each season back in 2011 but back then it was under the name of Bridgestone Play of the Year.

Most of the NFL Moments of the Year chosen have lacked the drama of the Moore TD catch.

The setup

The Bears were down 16-6 with 1:59 left on Dec. 20 in a night game at Soldier Field  against Green Bay, and Cairo Santos kicked a 43-yard field goal to get them within seven. But the Bears had to try an onside kick. Packers receiver Romeo Doubs botched the pickup on the hands team and Bears DB Josh Blackwell recovered.

The Bears quickly drove to Caleb William's fourth-and-4 TD pass of 6 yards to Jahdae Walker in the right corner of the end zone to force overtime.

The Bears seemed on the verge of trailing or losing in overtime as the Packers reached the Bears 36, but Jordan Love fumbled the snap on fourth-and-1 and the Bears took over. Four plays later came the fateful play, Williams' deep ball to Moore for the 46-yard TD with Keisean Nixon defending, and draped all over the Bears receiver's back.

It set of a wild celebration and the Bears took a 1 1/2-game lead in the NFC North with two left, then clinched the title when Detroit lost a game.

Without the win, the Bears could have been in position to miss the playoffs entirely.

“It was a great moment," quarterback Caleb Williams said. "I got a lot of great moments coming up. I think it's a signature moment for us as a team to be able to build this confidence.

"A signature moment for us to be able to be in the position we are with 11  wins and everything at the tip of our fingers is exactly where we want to be, I'll put it that way.”

It was the win that triggered the cheese grater hats and was revenge for a 28-21 loss at Lambeau Field two weeks earlier.

Three weeks later, the Bears made a miracle comeback again from an even larger deficit, 21-3, and won it by outscoring the Packers 25-6 in the fourth quarter. Moore caught this winner from 25 yards out with 1:43 left in regulation.

Seven of the Bears' 12 wins came in the final two minutes.

There were so many thrilling comeback moments for the Bears, that they probably could have picked the Colston Loveland 58-yard TD catch with 17 seconds remaining against Cincinnati or the Moore TD catch against the Packers in the playoffs as the top moment, as well.

"I heard the whole Cardiac Bears thing," GM Ryan Poles said. "I'd rather not be the  Cardiac Bears, but if that's what that game needs, then that's what you need to do. I do think you’ve got to win close games. When you get down to that two minutes, it's important.

"They repped that a lot and the guys were prepared for it. I don't think you want to be living on the edge all the time. I think what you can take from this season is that we were able to have poise down the stretch of games and be poised to finish and guys made plays when they needed to be made. I don't think that's a characteristic that you should ever shy away from.”

The Bears could go on and take the next step, win the NFC Championship Game and also the Super Bowl, but the feeling and thrills won't quite be the same thing as defying inevitable defeat repeatedly to win seven comebacks, including the Moment of the Year.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.