How did the Bears erase a 21-3 deficit against the Packers on Saturday? The Bears believed it.
The belief dates back to training camp, when coach Ben Johnson showed the team in Super Bowl LI. This was the game that saw the Patriots down 28-3 in the third quarter. Before turning the situation around and winning the game.
“That was my message to the group,” Johnson told reporters after last night’s playoff victory. “I was just reminding them that this had been done before. And rather than saying ‘woe is me’ and ‘oh, shit, we’re in a hole,’ it’s more of an opportunity for us to turn this thing into a game that we’ll never forget. And that’s what they did.”
The presence of two players from Super Bowl LI helped reinforce this point. Former Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and former Patriots offensive lineman Joe Thuney are Bears. And they both got to enjoy the thrill of victory Patriots-style, while sending the Packers to share the agony of Atlanta’s defeat.
The only thing left for Bears fans is to make T-shirts and flags displaying the 21-3 score bug.
