The Green Bay Packers earned a thrilling 20-19 victory against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, clinching the win with a blocked field goal as time expired. The outcome left Bears head coach Matt Eberflus frustrated with the officiating on the final play, prompting the organization to submit a video to the NFL contesting that a penalty should have been called on the Packers for contact with the long snapper.
In the final moments, the Bears had 35 seconds remaining and one timeout at their disposal, opting to execute a run play for Roschon Johnson, who managed a two-yard gain. This set the stage for a 46-yard field goal attempt. Instead of running another play to potentially get closer for kicker Cairo Santos, the Bears allowed the clock to wind down to three seconds before calling their timeout, a decision that took the Packers by surprise. Players from the Packers' special teams unit had noted in their film study that Santos's kicks had a low trajectory, and many believed that an additional offensive play might have complicated the field goal attempt.
Bears head coach Eberflus defended his strategy, explaining, 'They were loading the box there. You could say you could do that for sure, maybe get a couple more yards, but you're also going to risk fumbling and different things there.' The loss marked the second time this season that a field goal attempt by Santos had been blocked, continuing a streak of narrow defeats for Chicago, including a loss to the Washington Commanders earlier in the season on a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass. With these outcomes, the Bears' record stands at 4-6, and the team is engulfed in a four-game losing streak, currently positioned at 12th in the NFC standings.
