The Chicago Bears nearly saved their playoff chances with an elaborate, last-second series of laterals but wound up a few yards short

Meredith Cash

December 15, 2019 11:39 PM

The Chicago Bears nearly kept their playoff dreams alive in a must-win situation at the tail end of their Sunday-afternoon matchup against their rival Green Bay Packers .

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With one second remaining and an eight-point deficit, the Bears executed a series of elaborate laterals to move towards the end zone.
Rookie tight end Jesper Horsted was tackled near the five-yard line, but he missed an opportunity to pitch the ball to a wide-open teammate with a clear lane to the end zone.
Although the Bears have not officially been eliminated from playoff contention, a Week 15 win from either the Minnesota Vikings or the Los Angeles Rams would end Chicago's season once and for all.
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After a season full of ups and downs, the Chicago Bears almost kept their playoff dreams alive in miraculous fashion against their archrivals Sunday afternoon.

But as with many of the near-glorious moments on the year, Chicago came up just short.

With one second remaining and an eight-point deficit to Aaron Rodgers' Green Bay Packers, quarterback Mitch Trubisky dished the ball over the middle to running back Tarik Cohen. He ran laterally and a few yards upfield before pitching the ball back to Trubisky, who evaded a number of Green Bay defenders before tossing the ball to tight end Jesper Horsted. Horsted had his eyes firmly fixed 10 yards down the field for the score once he secured the ball, but a Packers defender quickly closed in on him near the five-yard line.

Much to the chagrin of Bears fans, a closer look at the play reveals that wide receiver Allen Robinson who had a clear lane to the end zone and a blocker ahead of him was streaking down the sideline and calling for the ball when Horsted went down.

Although the Bears have not officially been eliminated from playoff contention, a Week 15 win from either the Minnesota Vikings or the Los Angeles Rams would end Chicago's season once and for all.