Windy City Miracle

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Windy City Miracle
DateDecember 20, 2025
StadiumSoldier Field
Chicago, Illinois
FavoritePackers by 1.5 [1]
RefereeAlex Kemp
Attendance60,152
TV in the United States
NetworkFox
AnnouncersKevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi

The Windy City Miracle, or the Midway Miracle, was a National Football League (NFL) game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. The Bears overcame two 10-point deficits in the second half to defeat the Packers 22–16 in overtime. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw a 46-yard pass to wide receiver D. J. Moore to secure a walk-off victory.

Background

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Green Bay Packers

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See also: 2025 Green Bay Packers season

Coming off a 11–6 season and an early-round exit in the playoffs in 2024, the Packers were favored to win the NFC North after trading defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys for defensive end Micah Parsons and two first-round draft picks. The Packers started their season at 2–0, but then proceeded to suffer an upset loss in Week 3 to the Cleveland Browns and have that follow up with a 40–40 tie the following week with the aforementioned Cowboys to push to a 2–1–1 record[2][3]. Following their Week 5 bye, the Packers went 7–3 in their next 10 matchups.

Chicago Bears

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See also: 2025 Chicago Bears season

The Bears finished 5–12 in 2024, that saw them start 4–2, only to tie their longest losing streak of 10 straight games, which was broken in the finale, with a 24–22 upset win over the Packers.[4] In the 2025 NFL draft, they selected tight end Colston Loveland out of Michigan with the 10th overall pick.[5] The Bears started the 2025 season 0–2, but then proceeded to go 10–2 in their next 12 matchups, including the loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field two weeks prior.

Game summary

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First half

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The Bears won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Packers rookie wide receiver Savion Williams appeared to have fumbled the opening kickoff, however the Bears were called for unnecessary roughness. The two teams played scoreless in the first quarter as both team's opening possessions ended in a Turnover on Downs, which were deep in each other's territory. The Packers would then draw first blood via a Brandon McManus 26-yard field goal. This was followed by a Bears punt, in which the Packers used to take a 6–0 halftime lead thanks to a 22-yard field goal from McManus.

Second half

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The Bears got the ball to start the second half, and after the Bears own trip to the red zone, kicker Cairo Santos got Chicago on the board after drilling a 46-yard field goal. Then, it was the Packers turn to get the ball, and they drove all the way back into the red zone after completions from Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis, but running back Josh Jacobs fumbled at the Chicago 4 yardline on 1st & Goal and the ball was recovered by Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The Bears were unable to take advantage of the turnover as they would punt on 4th & 4 at their own 21 and Willis threw the game's first touchdown with a 33-yard reception to wide receiver Romeo Doubs to give the Packers a 13–3 lead. The fourth quarter would then see three straight field goals kicked (2 by Chicago, 1 by Green Bay).

The play

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After the Bears were forced to settle for a field goal late in the 4th quarter, they attempted an onside kick and successfully recovered it. During this period, Doubs bobbled the ball and Bears defensive back Josh Blackwell recovered it. The Bears would then drive into the red zone and on 4th and 4, where Williams found his WR wide open in the end zone and managed to tie the game at 16 a piece at the end of regulation.

The Packers received the ball to start overtime, and the offense was driving down the field, only to fumble the snap on 4th & 1, turning the ball over on downs. Shortly after that, Williams threw a deep 46-yard pass to Moore, who caught it for the game winning touchdown.

Box score

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Week 16: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Packers 0 6 73016
Bears 0 0 313622

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: December 20
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Clear, 37 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 60,152
  • Referee: Alex Kemp
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Aftermath

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With the win, the Bears improve their record to 11–4, and snapped their 6-game home losing streak against the Packers, defeating them at Soldier Field for the first time since 2018. Additionally, they not only stood in first place in the NFC North, but also clinched their first playoff spot since 2020 when the Detroit Lions, who had already been swept by the Packers during the season, lost at home the following day to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who the Bears and the Packers both defeated earlier in the season in Weeks 8 & 12 respectively.

Meanwhile, the Packers dropped their record to 9–5–1, making this the second time in the season that the Packers dropped back-to-back games, with the other example being in Weeks 9 & 10 against the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles, both of which were home games. This loss also kept the Packers in the 7th seed in the NFC playoffs.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bears vs. Packers 2025 Prediction, Odds, Picks - Dec 20". FOXSports.com. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  2. ^ "Browns 13-10 Packers (Sep 21, 2025) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  3. ^ "Packers 40-40 Cowboys (Sep 28, 2025) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  4. ^ "Bears 24-22 Packers (Jan 5, 2025) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  5. ^ "Bears 2025 NFL draft picks: Pick-by-pick analysis". ESPN.com. 2025-04-26. Retrieved 2025-12-20.