The cardiac Bears have remarkably rallied to win five of their last seven games after trailing in the final 2:00 of regulation, tying for the most such victories in a season since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970 with the 2011 Broncos and 2016 Lions.
Making the feat even more impressive is that a slew of different players — from starters to reserves on all three phases — have stepped up to produce clutch plays in the waning moments with the game on the line.
"We've got a lot of depth on this team," said coach Ben Johnson. "And we have a lot of guys that, as a coaching staff, by design we've put them in some challenging situations from the springtime through training camp, and now when they get in those situations, they're ready for it. We talk all the time about being able to handle pressure, being poised, and they rise to the occasion. That's our entire team. That's part of our identity and who we are and I'm really proud of the guys for handling those situations so far."
Here's a detailed look at the five comeback wins:
Week 4 (Sept. 28)
Bears 25, Raiders 24
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
Trailing 24-19, Caleb Williams engineered a brilliant 11-play, 69-yard drive that was capped by D'Andre Swift's 2-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining, giving the Bears a 25-24 lead. Williams completed 4 of 5 passes for 42 yards and rushed for 19 yards on two carries to set up Swift's TD.
The Raiders answered by reaching the Chicago 35. But Kevin Byard III dropped Ashton Jeanty for a 1-yard loss on third-and-2, and Josh Blackwell followed by deflecting Daniel Carlson's 54-yard field goal attempt with :54 left, preserving the win.
Swift was the first Bears player to generate a late game-winning score this season, but he wouldn't be the last.
"We've got so many guys that can step up at any moment, and we've been doing that," Swift said this week. "Just the way we prepare, whoever gets put in a situation to make a play for us at the end of the game, they've shown up."
Week 6 (Oct. 13)
Bears 25, Commanders 24
Northwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland
Subbing for the injured Cairo Santos, Jake Moody booted a 38-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bears their second straight thrilling 25-24 victory.
With the Bears trailing 24-22, the defense generated its third takeaway of the game when Nahshon Wright recovered a botched handoff between Jayden Daniels and Jeremy McNichols at the Chicago 44 with 3:07 to play in the fourth quarter.
The offense then marched 36 yards on nine plays, with Swift carrying five times for 34 yards, including runs of 10 and 15 yards to set up the winning kick. Williams also sustained the drive with a 6-yard completion to Colston Loveland on third-and-5 from the Bears' 49.
Earlier this week, Moody was signed by the Commanders off the Bears practice squad.
Week 9 (Nov. 2)
Bears 47, Bengals 42
Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati
An instant classic, the game featured 11 touchdowns and seven lead changes, including two in the final two minutes of regulation.
The Bears' seemingly safe 41-27 lead evaporated as the Bengals generated a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:43 left, recovered the subsequent onside kick and then scored another TD to take a 42-41 lead with just :54 to play.
The Bears answered in remarkable fashion, however, leaving Cincinnati with a scintillating 47-42 victory on Williams' 58-yard TD pass to Loveland with :17 remaining. Out of timeouts, Williams rifled a pass on a seam route to the rookie first-round pick, who caught the ball at the Bengals' 35, bounced off one defender and outraced two others to the end zone.
Given the team's mindset, Loveland isn't surprised with all the late comeback wins.
"I think that all started in the offseason," he said. "From the GM, president, coaching staff down, what they've instilled in us is: 'finish, finish, finish,' and 'it's never over until it's over.' It sounds cliché, but it's a real thing. We practiced all offseason really hard, met really hard, had long days, for times when it gets into the fourth quarter, we still have juice and we're able to go out there and make a play."
Week 10 (Nov. 9)
Bears 24, Giants 20
Soldier Field
The Bears scored two touchdowns in the game's final moments to turn a 20-10 deficit into a 24-20 win. Williams' 2-yard touchdown pass to Rome Odunze closed the gap to 20-17 with 3:56 to play. And after the defense forced a three-and-out, Williams' 17-yard TD scramble gave the Bears a 24-20 lead with 1:47 left.
The defense clinched the win with :38 remaining when blitzing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds hit Russell Wilson as he released the ball, forcing an incompletion on fourth-and-10 from the Giants' 46.
Week 11 (Nov. 16)
Bears 19, Vikings 17
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Santos' 48-yard field goal as time expired resulted in a dramatic 19-17 win. The Bears led 16-3 entering the fourth quarter, but Minnesota rallied for two touchdowns, the second coming on J.J. McCarthy's 15-yard pass to Jordan Addison, giving the Vikings a 17-16 lead with :50 to play.
But as they've done all season, the Bears overcame a late deficit. Devin Duvernay returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to the Minnesota 40. After Swift gained nine yards on three rushes, Santos nailed the game-winner.
With the victory, the Bears became the fifth NFL team since 1970 to win three straight games after trailing in the final 2:00 of the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers accomplished the feat earlier this season. The others who've done it are the 2009 Bengals, 2014 Lions and 2011 Broncos, who did so in an NFL-record four consecutive games.
"We're bought in," Williams said. "We believe. We've got all the guys we need. We've got everybody. We just have to go out there and execute for the whole game, all 60 minutes. We're in such a unique position because we have all the guys, we've got all the coaches. You don't want to waste these opportunities and these weeks because you've only got 17 that are promised."
It's no surprise to those who work closest with Johnson that the Bears have been able to rally to win five games in the waning moments with him at the helm.
"Ben has extreme confidence in what he's doing," said offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. "He's very comfortable in big moments. I know Caleb has been talked about that way. Ben is that way. Ben prepares for those moments and because of that, once we get there, it's not really like we're not confident in that moment.
"He very much knows what he wants, how he sees things going. He's very clear at communicating that. If things change on the fly, he does a great job of communicating that to the staff and the players. I think that's what is a separator in those big moments. A lot of these games are won in the last two minutes and it's a huge advantage with him on our side."
