The Magnificent 7

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 22-16 victory over the Packers on Saturday at Soldier Field:

1. Josh Blackwell

Last season, Blackwell burned the Packers with a 94-yard punt return on the ol' Dave Toub decoy play in a 24-22 victory in Week 18 at Lambeau Field. The fourth-year pro from Duke inflicted a lot more pain with another key play Saturday night — recovering Cairo Santos' onside kick with 1:59 left in the fourth quarter. Without it, the Bears lose. Recovering an onside kick is a fluke play — less than 5% are recovered by the kicking team. But Blackwell's heroics aren't a fluke. He has a knack for special teams that often finds him in the right place at the right time. On the long list of incredible plays that have sparked the Bears' comeback wins, Blackwell now has two of them — he started the run in Week 4 with a blocked field goal that saved the Bears in a 25-24 victory over the Raiders.

2. Caleb Williams

This game was a great example of the value of Williams in his developmental state under Ben Johnson. When he's unproductive, he doesn't take you out of the game with mistakes. And when the moment for redemption presents itself, he can flip the switch. In the first 58 minutes of the game, Williams completed 12 of 24 passes for 151 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions for a 70.0 passer rating. In the final 7:10 of the game, he completed 7 of 10 passes for 99 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 141.3 passer rating. Flummoxed by Packers pressure throughout the game, Williams responded best when he had the most pressure on him and the last amount of time — throwing a six-yard touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker on fourth-and-four from the 6-yard line with a free blitzer Brenton Cox bearing in on him.

3. DJ Moore

With Rome Odunze and Luther Burden out with injuries, Moore had a well-deserved starring role, with a fabulous catch of a contested deep ball in the end zone for a walk-off 46-yard touchdown. He fittingly beat Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon, whose interception of a Williams pass clinched the Packers' 28-21 victory over the Bears on Dec. 7, at Lambeau Field. Moore also had a 20-yard reception to the Packers 12-yard line to set up Williams' six-yard touchdown pass to Walker. He finished with five receptions for 97 yards.

4. Jahdae Walker

Though Williams beating the blitz left Walker open on the fourth-down touchdown, the reception on the well-thrown ball was not easy — especially considering the dire situation. Walker corralled the ball while running toward the sideline in the end zone, got two feet in bounds and completed the all-important process of the catch. The undrafted rookie from Texas A&M had two receptions for 21 yards against the Packers. He also had a 15-yard reception on Williams' first pass of the game.

5. Malik Willis

The Titans cast-off was about to become the latest Packers unsung hero in their dominance of the rivalry with the Bears when the game suddenly turned. After replacing injured starter Jordan Love in the second quarter. Willis baffled Dennis Allen and the Bears' defense — completing 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards, a 33-yard touchdown to Romeo Doubs and no interceptions for a 142.8 passer rating. He also confounded the Bears' defense with his mobility, rushing 10 times for 44 yards. The Bears simply had no answer for Willis. It wasn't until he botched a snap on fourth-and-one in overtime that the Bears were able to overcome his stellar — if not mystifying — success.

6. Cairo Santos

Santos' leg strength likely will still be an issue if the Bears make the playoffs, but there's something to be said for his ability to navigate sometimes tricky conditions at Soldier Field in December and January. With gusting winds that blew towels and paper cups and other debris on the field, Santos was 3 for 3 on field goal attempts, from 46, 51 and 43 yards (the Packers' Brandon McManus also was 3 for 3, but from 26, 22 and 28 yards). The 46-yard kick wasn't the longest but the most impressive — Santos played the wind perfectly, kicking to the left, with the wind pushing the ball back to the right — and right between the goal posts to cut the Packers' lead to 6-3 in the third quarter.

7. Drew Dalman

Dalman have been part of a significant upgrade on the Bears' offensive line (though it's worth noting that the center he replaced, Coleman Shelton, has played every snap for the 11-4 Rams, who ranked second in the NFL in points and yards). But this was not his finest moment. The Bears were in position to take an early lead — a fourth-and-one at the Packers 4-yard line when Dalman's high snap that went between wildcat quarterback Cole Kmet's legs and over running back Kyle Monangai's head, led to an 18-yard loss and a turnover on downs. A standard play seemed to be in order — the Bears were averaging 9.8 yards per play at that point — but botching that play seemed to throw the Bears' offense out of sync. Dalman also had a holding penalty on a third-and-10 scramble by Williams in the fourth quarter that turned a first down into a third-and-20. The Bears got it back when rookie defensive lineman Warren Brinson was called for a facemask penalty on the next play, leading to Santos' 43-yard field goal that cut the Packers' lead to 16-9.