The Green Bay Packers knew they weren't losing to the Bears even as Chicago lined up for a game-winning 46-yard field goal.
"We were going to block it," defensive lineman Kenny Clark said, via the .
It wasn't simply bravado. Special teams coach Rich Bisaccia saw a weakness in the Bears' field-goal blocking unit, with a struggling guard situation and a kicker in Cairo Santos who had a low trajectory to his boots.
"Rich said to our team last night, 'I will not understand if we come out of this game without a block,'" coach Matt LaFleur said. "Whether a field goal or [point-after attempt]."
They blocked the biggest kick of the game, clinching a 20-19 victory.
After Jordan Love plunged into the end zone to give the Packers a one-point lead, Chicago drove down the field, eating up the remaining ticks on the clock to set up the mid-range attempt.
On the snap, lineman T.J. Slaton pushed Bears guard Larry Borom over, clearing enough space for Karl Brooks to slither his way through, get his left hand up and graze the pigskin with the very tip of his middle finger, sending the ball sailing to the Soldier Field turf for the Packers win.
"It was just an unbelievable feeling," Brooks said. "At first, when I touched it, I didn't think I got enough of it, and then it fell short. That's when I really celebrated. It was fun. It was cool. It was a good experience."
In the aftermath, embattled Bears head coach Matt Eberflus took heat for not attempting to get any closer with some time left on the clock.
"They were loading the box there," Eberflus said. "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. We felt where we were, if we're at the 36 or 35, you definitely want to do that because you want to get it inside there. I felt very confident where we were at that time with the wind and where we were on the field."
Perhaps a few yards would have made a difference with Santos' trajectory. Or maybe it was fated to happen regardless, ensuring Green Bay's 11th consecutive win over Chicago.
