With nothing on the line other than playing spoiler for their rival, the Chicago Bears pulled out all the stops in Week 18 with one of the best special teams plays of the NFL season.
The Bears opened the scoring on Sunday with a punt return for a touchdown, aided by a well-executed deception. Midway through the first quarter, the Packers punted Daniel Whelan from the Chicago 44-yard line.
The punt traveled down the left sideline deep into Bear territory. But Chicago’s punt return team set up on the right sideline and Green Bay’s coverage unit followed suit. DJ Moore feigned a fair catch on the five-yard line when the ball ended up on the other side of the field.
Meanwhile, Bears special teamer Josh Blackwell followed the kick uncovered down the left sideline. He placed the kick inside the 10-yard line with no one around, as Whelan appeared to be the only Packers player who knew which direction the kick was actually traveling.
By the time Whelan’s teammates realized what was happening, Blackwell found a clear path down the sideline toward the end zone.
He ran untouched for a 94-yard return to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead. He finished the game with a Lambeau Leap after seeing some Bears fans in the front row of the stands.
The touchdown was the first of Blackwell’s three-season NFL career. The return was just the seventh of the season for Blackwell, Chicago’s secondary punt returner behind DeAndre Carter.
Entering Sunday’s game at 4-12, the Bears had long since been eliminated from the playoffs and had nothing to gain with a win on Sunday. But the rival Packers were playing for playoff positioning with a chance to move up from No. 7 to No. 6 in the NFC and a path that avoids playing No. 2 and No. 1 in the opening rounds of the playoffs.
That was a good incentive for Chicago to play out the playbook in the final game of a losing season.
