Windy City Gridiron
Hello, Chicago Bears fans! Coming at you this week with a special edition of the Good, Better, Best series – Bears vs. Packers in the playoffs. After that amazing game on Saturday night, it was difficult to figure out what to leave on the cutting room floor. I briefly toyed with the idea that it was all Best – and frankly, it mostly was! But I ultimately decided to stick with our formula and give you some highlights of the good, the better, and the absolute unbelievably best of the Bears improbable victory over the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in the Wild Card round of the 2026 NFL playoffs. So, without further gilding of the lily – your GBB:
Austin Booker & Montez Sweat
The Bears did not muster much pressure on Jordan Love in the first half, and it seemed that the season-long Achilles heel of the Bears’ defense might cost them dearly in their playoff matchup against the Packers. Austin Booker and Montez Sweat had a different idea in the second half. Both Booker and Sweat constantly harried Love with pressures, and Booker got a sack of Love. But perhaps the most important defensive play was Sweat hitting Love’s arm on the second to last play, forcing an incompletion. The two Bears edges came through when it mattered the most.
D.J. Moore
DJ had six receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown – certainly a good number for one of your top wide receivers in a playoff game, but not of particular note. Except, of course, for the catch to put the Bears up in the 4th quarter and win the game.
Cairo Santos
I have been critical of Mr. Santos. In an age where kickers are redefining the meaning of “field goal range,” Santos and his leg are relics of a bygone era. But one factor that I and others have missed in encouraging the Bears to move on from Cairo and find a bigger leg is the fact that, not only is Santos pretty accurate inside the 50, but he is a proven bad weather kicker. Nowhere was this more on display than in the Bears’ playoff game, where Cairo was perfect on his field goals and extra points, including a 51-yard boot – the first of its kind in playoff history for Soldier Field. The Packers kicker…yeah, not so much. Got to give Cairo his flowers.
Dennis Allen 2nd Half Adjustments
The Chicago Bears allowed three first half touchdowns to Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers in their playoff game and it seemed like there was nothing they could do to stop the Packers from running away with the game. Many of us were wondering if Dennis Allen was the right guy to lead this Bears defense. Well, he answered the bell emphatically in the second half. His adjustments to produce more pressure had the Packers befuddled – and it was so important for the Bears to keep...
