There are just two games left for us to discuss in our top ten Chicago Bears playoff victories of the Super Bowl era. We can try to build the suspense for number one, but I’m pretty sure every Bears fan over the age of 6 knows what game would be first on the list. But second? I think it’s debatable. I think the game I’ve selected has earned its spot, even though some may call it recency bias.
What went into ranking these games? I think what team they beat matters. I think how they won matters. I believe
individual performances within the game matter. Was it dramatic? Did they blow the opponent out? What made the game interesting or compelling from a Bears perspective? All of these factors went into determining how these games should be ranked.
Let’s talk about this gem we saw just a few weeks ago.
What is there to say about this game?
January 10th, 2026. The Chicago Bears welcome the Green Bay Packers for their first playoff game in five years, their first home playoff game in 7 years, and attempt to win their first playoff game in 15 years.
The Packers were favored, despite the game being at Soldier Field, but that was nothing new for this club. Vegas, the media, and other fan bases routinely counted this team out. Despite a strong December, plenty of people still thought the Bears were frauds, so when the Packers jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead, those doubters were not surprised.
The Bears’ defense settled down in the third quarter, but the offense hadn’t gotten going too much, so when the Bears entered the fourth quarter down 21 to 6, those doubters knew that this outcome was coming. But even for the biggest of doubters, you’d have to imagine it would be difficult to still call them frauds after what transpired over the final 15 minutes of football.
Cairo Santos added his third field goal of the game, and D’Andre Swift ran it in from 6 yards out just a few minutes later, and the Bears cut the lead to 21 to 16.
But on the ensuing drive, the Packers answered right back as Jordan Love hit Matthew Golden for a 23-yard touchdown. They would miss the extra point, but the lead would be back at 27 to 16 with just over 6 minutes to go.
The Bears would get the ball up to their own 43, but they faced a 4th and 8 with 5 minutes remaining. If the Bears didn’t convert this play, the season was almost certainly over. The Packers would have the ball back up two scores, and they would have been able to bleed off a minimum of two minutes, leaving the Bears in dire straits.
Caleb Williams dropped back to pass and faced almost immediate pressure forcing him to roll out to his left, as he was being tripped and about to tumble to the ground, he tossed a ball that physics says isn’t possible to do, lofting into the center of a sea of Packers and into the hands of Rome Odunze for a 27-yard completion and a first down. It was one of the greatest throws in postseason history.
The Bears would finish off the drive with an Olamide Zaccheaus touchdown catch, and Colston Loveland would convert a two-point conversion, and suddenly the Bears were only down three.
The Packers would get the ball back and drive into Bears territory, only to stall out and miss a 44-yard field goal, giving the Bears the ball back.
Caleb Williams would need just 6 plays to hit DJ Moore for a go-ahead 25-yard touchdown with under two minutes to play. Jordan Love tried his best to match Williams’ magic, but his final pass fell incomplete in the Bears’ end zone as time expired, and the Bears completed one of the most improbable comebacks in playoff history.
The Bears had been tortured by the Packers for 35 years. Perhaps this victory finally got the monkey off their back and put this rivalry back on even ground. Ben Johnson loudly proclaimed what he felt about the Bears’ opponent after the game, which led to pearl-clutching throughout the country.
Even though the Bears lost the following week to the LA Rams, they gave Bears fans a win for the ages and memories that will last a lifetime.
