The Chicago Bears snapped their 10 game losing streak to close out the season with a 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, January 5, on the road.
According to the Bears, kicker Cairo Santos connected on a game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired. Along with securing the victory, Santos secured his career-best eighth made field goal of 50-plus yards this season, a single-season Bears record.
The Bears said fellow specialist and punter Tory Taylor finished the season with the highest net avg. (41.2) and highest gross avg. (47.7) by any punter in a single season in Bears history.
Chicago closed out the regular season with a victory in Green Bay, ending the regular season with a win for the first time since 2019. The Bears secured the team’s first victory at Lambeau Field since 2015. Chicago finished the 2024 season with just 16 turnovers, the fewest committed turnovers by a Bears team in a single season since at least 1941, added the Bears.
The Bears said the defense forced two fumbles, recovering them both, on Sunday, taking the season total to 13, tied for third-most by any team in the NFL through the Week 18 early window. DB Jaylon Johnson forced the fumble in the first quarter, which was recovered by DB Jonathan Owens. Owens returned the fumble 14 yards, the fourth FR of his career and his second of the season. LB T.J. Edwards added a sack in the fourth quarter, amassing four sacks on the season, a career-high.
Special Teams Impact:
In the first quarter, the Bears said DB Josh Blackwell returned a Packers punt 94 yards for a touchdown, marking the first punt return TD for the Bears since 2021 (Grant, Week 14 at Green Bay). Blackwell returned the punt 94 yards for a touchdown, tied for the third-longest punt return TD by the Bears since at least 1948. Blackwell’s 94-yard punt return TD was the second-longest in the NFL this season through the early window of Sunday’s Week 18 matchups (Washington, 96 yards). Continuing in the return phase, WR Tyler Scott added a career-high 113 kickoff return yards, including a 37-yard kickoff return before halftime, added the Bears.
DB Kevin Byard III led the Bears with a career-high 14 tackles, including his sack and forced fumble. In the third quarter, Byard III dropped QB Malik Willis for a sack-fumble, the first strip sack of his career and second sack of the season, added the Bears.
(Information courtesy of the Chicago Bears).
