Chicago's improbable comeback wins shattered Green Bay's season, casting doubt on head coach Matt LaFleur's future and potentially reshaping the Packers' franchise.
The Chicago Bears have been a thorn in the side of the Green Bay Packers this season.
The Packers beat the Bears at Lambeau Field in Week 14, 28-21, but things changed just two weeks later.
Chicago got a key 22-16 overtime win over Green Bay after being down 16-6 late in the fourth quarter. A field goal and some onside kick heroics put the Bears in position to force overtime. Caleb Williams found a wide-open Jahdae Walker in the end zone to tie the game at 16.
Williams then threw the game-winning touchdown pass to D.J. Moore.
The Bears weren't done yet, however. Fast forward to Wild Card Weekend, and the Bears had another improbable comeback for the Packers yet again.
This time, Chicago was down 21-6 entering the fourth quarter. Green Bay scored another touchdown, but Brandon McManus missed the extra point. Little did the Packers know that those would be the last points they scored in the game.
The Bears put up 25 points in the final 15 minutes to win 31-27.
On an appearance with the "Jen, Gabe, and Chewy" podcast, ESPN's Adam Schefter believed that Matt LaFleur's return to the Packers in 2026 is uncertain.
Schefter compared LaFleur to former Packers head coach Mike Holmgren, reminiscing on when the franchise traded him to the Seattle Seahawks. Holmgren won a Super Bowl in 1996, and Schefter argued that there wasn't as much value with LaFleur, who hasn't won one.
The Bears may have just broken the Packers.
"The way I'd interpret it right is, it's up in the air, and I believe that most places would have a high level of interest in Matt LaFleur," Schefter said. "I don't know whether they would hold him up and say, 'Okay, team X, you want him? Give us a 3rd-round pick or a 2nd-round pick.' The Green Bay Packers once sent Mike Holmgren to the Seattle Seahawks in 1999 for a second-round draft pick. Is LaFleur as accomplished as Mike Holmgren? I would say no. Mike Holmgren won a Super Bowl. LaFleur hasn't. What's the value?"
LaFleur has served as the Packers' head coach since 2019. He had a good start to his tenure, making the NFC Championship Game in 2019 and 2020. He then lost in the Divisional Round in 2021 and missed the playoffs altogether in 2022.
The Packers' head coach lost in the Divisional Round again in 2023 and in the Wild Card last season. Add his most recent playoff blunder to the mix, and you can see why people in the organization would be frustrated.
It's unbelievable what a difference a year can make. The Bears went from 5-12 and missing the playoffs, to winning the NFC North and eliminating the Packers from the postseason.
The Bears are now looking past the Wild Card round and into the Divisional, where they will face the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC.
It's a good time to a Bears fan right now.