Bears Get Another Wild Win, With Improbable Comeback Against Green Bay

Christmas came early for Bears fans.

I was literally at a caroling party watching the Bears play the Packers on Saturday night. The game was giving me little cheer.

From the dopey decision to run a trick play near the goal line on the opening drive to making backup quarterback Malik Willis look like the second coming of Michael Vick, the Bears were a big disappointment. Until the last two minutes of the game.

They hit an unlikely field goal despite the swirling winds at Soldier Field and miraculously recovered an onside kick.

QB Caleb Williams finally started to run (instead of throwing the ball away under pressure) and led a drive that ended with folks like me asking “who’s No. 20?” It was undrafted free agent Jahdae Walker making a great catch in the corner of the end zone to tie the score at 16-16.

In overtime, the Bears somehow stopped the backup Packers offense.

The game ended in spectacular fashion with Williams tossing a perfect 46-yard pass to D.J. Moore for the winning touchdown. It was a shocking win in a season of unlikely victories.

On Sunday, another crazy ending in which an offensive pass interference penalty wiped out last-second game-winning Lion’s touchdown on a head’s up lateral, meant the Bears clinched a spot in the playoffs.

I’ve been watching all season, and I can’t tell you the Bears are as good as their 11-4 record. They can be frustrating, but they are never dull–especially in crunch time. Two more games left. Stay tuned.

LANE WHO?

Also on Saturday, Ole Miss stomped Tulane for the second time this season. They won their first college football playoff game at home in Oxford, and the biggest cheers were for new coach Pete Golding.

Ole Miss gets to move on to New Orleans while the coach who deserted this 11-1 team gets used to his new home in Baton Rouge. Boo.

NBA STOCKING STUFFER

Some sports business news.

Disney Advertising said that it has sold out its commercial inventory in the five NBA games airing nationally on Christmas Day. The sellout comes despite three NFL games also being played on TV on December 25.

Disney said demand was strong, pushing revenue up 18%. Commercials on a cost-per-thousand-viewers basis cast 12% more. Commercials bought at the last minute in the scatter market cost 20% more.

According to Disney, nearly two thirds of the 47 returning advertisers increased their spending and there will be 37 new brands appearing during the Christmas NBA games, including Syneos Health, AbbVie, Warner Bros. Discovery and Booking.com.

In addition to in-game inventory, spots in Inside the NBA and NBA Tip-Off are sold out for Christmas as well.

The presenting sponsor of the NBA games on ESPN and ABC is State Farm. The company’s “Assist of the Game” feature will appear during all five games.

A24’s film Marty Supreme will be the exclusive studio partner for Christmas day, with a co-branded spot appearing during NBA Tip-Off and all five games.

DraftKings, which announced a new betting partnership with ESPN earlier this month, is launching a new "Player Pulse" feature.

During the games, Nike’s Jordan brand will be prompting the launch of Luka Doncic’s new sneaker release. ESPN will showcase the shoe during the Lakers Game against Houston.

Hyundai will present the halftime reports. Hyundai’s “More in the Moment" feature will appear during halftime of the 12 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. games and its “Halftime Highlights” feature will appear in the other three games.