On a frigid Saturday night under the bright lights of Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears delivered a comeback for the ages, rallying from an 18-point halftime deficit to stun the Green Bay Packers 31-27 in the NFC Wild Card round. The January 10, 2026, showdown was more than just another chapter in the NFL’s oldest rivalry—it was a night that rewrote the Bears’ playoff history books, left the Packers reeling, and sent a raucous Chicago crowd home believing in postseason magic once again.
Heading into the matchup, the storylines were already swirling. The Bears, NFC North champions with an 11-6 regular season record, were hosting their first playoff game as division winners in seven years. Their opponents, the Packers, came in at 9-7-1, looking to extend their postseason run after back-to-back playoff disappointments. The game, broadcast live on Prime and streamed on NFL+, drew millions of viewers eager to see which side of this storied rivalry would advance.
Early on, it looked like Green Bay would run away with it. The Packers silenced the Soldier Field faithful right out of the gate, with quarterback Jordan Love orchestrating three straight touchdown drives to open the game. Love found Christian Watson for a 7-yard score, Jayden Reed for an 18-yard strike, and Romeo Doubs from a yard out, capitalizing on a Bears turnover on downs. By halftime, the Packers had built a commanding 21-3 lead, their offense humming and the Bears’ playoff drought seemingly set to continue.
But as the second half began, the script flipped—and how. The Bears, led by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, began chipping away at the deficit. After two field goals and a 6-yard touchdown run by D’Andre Swift, Chicago had closed the gap to 21-16 with just over ten minutes left. The Packers, meanwhile, suddenly looked out of sync, punting on their first four possessions after halftime as the Bears’ much-maligned defense stiffened.
Green Bay briefly regained momentum when Love connected with first-round rookie Matthew Golden on a 23-yard screen pass for a touchdown, putting the visitors up 27-16 with 6:36 remaining. Yet, the Bears refused to fold. Williams, who had struggled through three quarters, found his rhythm in the fourth, leading Chicago on a furious rally. First, he hit Olamide Zaccheaus for an 8-yard touchdown, then converted a two-point try to rookie tight end Colston Loveland, narrowing the score to 27-24. The Bears’ defense, feeding off the energy of the home crowd, forced another stop, setting up one last chance for Williams and company.
With less than two minutes to play, Williams engineered a six-play, 66-yard drive, capped by a 25-yard dart to DJ Moore for the go-ahead touchdown. Soldier Field erupted as Moore, who’d also scored the game-winner against Green Bay in Week 16, broke free down the sideline and crossed the goal line with 1:43 left on the clock. The Bears had their first lead since the opening quarter—and the Packers were suddenly on the brink.
Love and the Packers weren’t done yet. Starting at their own 25, they marched to the Bears’ 28-yard line with time ticking away. But on fourth down, Love’s last-ditch heave into the end zone fell incomplete, sealing Green Bay’s fate and sending Chicago to its first playoff victory since the 2010 divisional round against the Seahawks. The comeback marked the largest in Bears’ playoff history and the biggest blown lead in Packers’ postseason annals.
Statistically, the night was filled with standout performances and eye-popping numbers. Williams, despite a shaky start (14-of-27 for 177 yards and two interceptions through three quarters), finished 24-of-48 for 361 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks. According to FOX Sports, his 361 passing yards were the second-most ever by a quarterback making his playoff debut in a win. He also became the first Bears quarterback since Jim Harbaugh in 1991 to beat the Packers multiple times in a season, and the third-youngest No. 1 overall pick to win a playoff game.
Colston Loveland, the Bears’ rookie tight end, had a breakout performance, hauling in eight catches for 137 yards—making him the first rookie tight end in NFL history with at least eight receptions and over 100 yards in a playoff game. DJ Moore’s late heroics capped a night where he proved, once again, to be Williams’ favorite target in clutch moments. D’Andre Swift led the Bears’ ground game with 54 rushing yards, though the team managed just 93 on the night, a testament to Green Bay’s stout run defense.
For Green Bay, Love finished 24-of-46 for 323 yards and four touchdowns, spreading the ball around to Romeo Doubs (eight catches, 124 yards, one touchdown) and others. Yet, the Packers’ offense, so explosive early, was stymied in the second half. Special teams woes also returned to haunt them—veteran kicker Brandon McManus missed a 55-yarder to end the first half, a PAT in the fourth quarter, and a 44-yard field goal with about three minutes left, each miss looming larger as the Bears rallied.
The Bears’ defense, written off at halftime, forced four straight punts to start the second half and limited big plays down the stretch. They managed just one sack—by Lukas Van Ness—as the absence of All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons (out since Week 15 with a torn ACL) continued to loom large for Green Bay. Rashan Gary, who had 7.5 sacks in 2025, was held without one for the remainder of the season after Week 8.
After the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur faced renewed scrutiny. Despite 76 regular-season wins in seven years—tied for the second-most ever by a coach in that span—his postseason record fell to 3-6, and talks of a contract extension suddenly appeared clouded. When asked about his future, LaFleur said, "We just gotta do a better job of keeping our composure as a football team." Quarterback Jordan Love, meanwhile, voiced his support: "I definitely think Matt should be the head coach."
On the other sideline, first-year Bears head coach Ben Johnson made history of his own, becoming the first Chicago coach to win a playoff game in his debut season. Johnson’s postgame locker room speech was full of emotion, and he credited the team’s resilience and the city’s energy for fueling the comeback. "We heard the noise from the team up north earlier this week," Johnson said, referencing the Packers. "That added to the emotional reaction to the win."
The victory snapped the Bears’ 15-year playoff win drought and advanced them to the divisional round for the first time since 2011. Chicago will host again next week, though their opponent remains to be determined based on the outcome of other NFC matchups.
In a season defined by late-game heroics—the Bears have now won seven times after trailing in the final two minutes—this wild-card win stands out as perhaps the most improbable and exhilarating. For Chicago, the dream lives on. For Green Bay, it’s another long offseason of what-ifs and hard questions. The oldest rivalry in football just delivered another instant classic, and the city of Chicago won’t soon forget it.
