Bears officially clinch playoff spot in Ben Johnson's first year after wild Lions loss

Aaron Rodgers finally does the Chicago Bears a favor, and Ben Johnson's team is officially in the playoffs.

After yet another wild ending to one of the craziest weeks in NFL history, Johnson's old team - the Detroit Lions - are all but out of the postseason while the Bears are in.

Just 24 hours after the Bears' miraculous overtime win over the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field - and only a couple of days removed from the Seattle Seahawks' unfathomable rally to beat the Los Angeles Rams - things got wonky late in Sunday afternoon's Steelers-Lions game at Ford Field.

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The Steelers led 29-17 with 5:00 remaining, seemingly safe since Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin was 103-0-1 when leading by 12+ points in the fourth quarter. But here came the Lions.

They got a litany of good breaks, ranging from a short missed field goal by the Steelers to consecutive penalties on Pittsburgh resulting in 30 yards on their final drive. Down 29-24, they drove to a 1st-and-goal at the Steelers' 1-yard line with :25 remaining.

That's when things went off the rails and - ultimately - in favor of the Bears. Finally.

An apparent game-winning touchdown catch by Lions' receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was negated by a penalty for offensive pass interference. Then Lions' receiver Isaac TeSlaa had both hands on the ball but failed to make a leaping catch in the end zone. Then one of the wackiest, most dramatic plays of the season.

St. Brown caught a pass at the 1, but was tackled short of the goal line as time expired. But in a late, desperate move, he lateraled the ball to quarterback Jared Goff who ran and dove into the end zone, sending Lions fans into a frenzy. But with flags all over the field, after a long delay referee Carl Cheffers announced that St. Brown committed offensive pass interference for clearly shoving off on Steelers' safety Jalen Ramsey.

MORE: Playoff payoff for Bears comes with irony and Detroit Lions' defeat

Announced Cheffers, "The game is over." He might as well have said, "The Bears are in the playoffs."

From a 2024 season that included a 10-game losing streak and a 5-12 record, to making the postseason in Johnson's first season in Chicago. The 11-4 Bears, who lead the NFC North and are alive for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, last made the playoffs in 2020 and last won their division in 2010.

The 8-7 Lions can only make the playoffs with two wins and two losses by the Packers. The Bears host Detroit in Week 18.

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