The quick checklist of essentially the most gut-wrenching losses in Chicago Bears historical past actually isn’t that quick. Simply say the phrases “Marion Barber III” and Bears followers will recoil in horror from the 2011 defeat in Denver that occurred partly due to two big blunders from the veteran working again in crunch time that allowed Tim Tebow to win the sport in additional time. There are one million Packers losses that match this standards, however the first that involves thoughts is the 2013 Week 17 sport when Aaron Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for the game-winning TD within the closing minute with a playoff berth on the road. There’s additionally, after all, Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary final season that triggered a 10-game shedding streak and compelled Chicago to fireplace a coach mid-season for the primary staff of their 100+ yr franchise historical past.
It felt like a Week 9 sport in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals was destined to hitch the checklist. The Bears had been up 41-27 with beneath three minutes remaining when Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds intercepted Joe Flacco and appeared to take it to the home for a landing. After a evaluation, the refs dominated that Edmunds was touched by the Bengals protection on his option to the bottom, placing into movement what seemed like one of many nice meltdowns for a franchise outlined by them.
The Bears melted down from there. A 3-and-out led to a Bengals landing drive that solely took 32 sounds off the clock capped by a Joe Flacco strike to Noah Fant. Cincinnati went for 2 and acquired it to make it a six-point deficit. Then the Bengals recovered an onside kick. Cue a six-play, 57-yard Cincinnati landing drive in beneath a minute to take the lead. My dad texted me “I’m shopping for a Jordan Love jersey,” and I despatched some texts again to numerous pals that aren’t match for print in a household publication like SB Nation.
Caleb Williams acquired the ball again with 51 seconds left, and on this sport, it was an excessive amount of time. With 17 seconds remaining, Williams hit rookie tight finish Colston Loveland for a move that ought to have put them in discipline purpose vary. As an alternative, Loveland broke two tackles and sprinted free to the tip zone. That is what a modern-day miracle seems like.
Chicago beat the Bengals, 47-42. Cincinnati’s closing Hail Mary fell quick, and the Bears had earned an unbelievable wins amid a collapse that felt approach too plausible for Chicagoans with a critical quantity of scar tissue constructed up since 1985.
The Bears, outlined by protection and particular groups for the whole lot of their historical past, put collectively one of many worst protection and particular groups performances conceivable. The Bengals returned the opening kickoff of the sport for a landing, and it solely acquired worse from there. Flacco, 40 years outdated, threw for 470 yards and 4 touchdowns in a sport he was questionable to play in. Chicago missed a key discipline purpose on the finish of the primary half, and would have missed one other one if not for a Bengals penalty. Tee Higgins and Ja’Mar Chase tore via a banged up secondary. Williams’ accuracy issues had been rearing their ugly head all through the afternoon.
This can be a crushing Bears loss in any alternate dimension, however someway not within the one which issues. Williams is carving out a knack for clutch drives late within the sport, and the move to Loveland marks his most memorable comeback throw but. Chicago ended the sport with 576 yards of whole offense. It used to take three weeks to get that many earlier than Ben Johnson arrived.
Johnson is working miracles to get this Bears staff to 5-3 on the season. He was deep in his bag of tips all through the afternoon, with Williams catching two big passes, together with one of many Bears’ first landing on a gutsy 4th-and-one play name:
With out injured working again D’Andre Swift, the Bears ran the ball higher than they’ve at any level this season. Rookie again Kyle Monangai, chosen within the seventh spherical with the No. 233 general decide, was unimaginable, gaining 176 yards on 26 carries.
Backup Brittain Brown added a powerful 22-yard landing scamper after not getting a carry all season earlier than this sport.
Rome Odunze had zero catches, and the Bears nonetheless put up 47 factors with nothing however offensive touchdowns.
I felt my soul depart my physique when the Commanders got here down with the Hail Mary that broke the Bears mentally and bodily final yr. It occurred once more after the Bengals took the lead with beneath one minute left on this sport. A loss to the Bengals might have tanked this Bears season identical to the Hail Mary did a yr in the past. One way or the other, the Bears pulled out a win from the fingers of defeat and saved their playoff hopes alive. Hopefully this will likely be keep in mind as the primary time the connection between Williams and Loveland — the staff’s first-round decide in 2025 — started to blossom after the tight finish scored his first profession landing on a five-yard strike earlier within the sport.
This Bears season felt prefer it was on dying’s door after the Bengals took the lead. Now Chicago has new life, and an actual probability on the postseason. After so many heartbreaking losses via the years, the Bears lastly acquired a life-affirming comeback win of their very own.
