It's hard to imagine a more perfectly executed trick play than the one the Bears pulled off in Sunday's 24-22 win over the Packers.
In the first quarter of the season finale at Lambeau Field, DJ Moore dropped back to return a punt. When the ball was in the air, he drifted to his left, faking out the Green Bay coverage team because the punt was actually headed to the other side of the field.
Josh Blackwell initially blocked a gunner downfield. He then whirled around and made an over-the-shoulder catch of the ball, reversed his field and dashed untouched 94 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown, escorted by Jack Sanborn and Tarvarius Moore, among others.
"Luckily, we got the placement of the kick that we were expecting, and Blackwell did a hell of a job getting back there and catching it and not panicking, and really all the other guys on the interior did a great job of blocking," special teams coordinator Richard Hightower told ChicagoBears.com. "The guys on the inside have got to sell it too. But it's all about timing; DJ, Blackwell and everybody timing it up the right way."
Moore was thrilled that the ball was booted toward Blackwell.
"I was like, 'please don't kick it this way because I have no blockers over here,'" Moore said. "They didn't kick it to me, and Blackwell made an amazing play."
The TD gave the Bears a 7-0 lead.
"I was just fired up for the guys," Hightower said. "It was satisfying for sure because they helped our team in a major way provide a spark and put points on the board early in the game."
The Bears have practiced the trick play throughout the season.
"It's really hard, so we worked on it a lot of times," Hightower said, "shooting it [with a JUGS machine] in the middle, shooting it outside the numbers, shooting it inside the numbers, shooting it all different types of ways to try to catch it, and even how we were going to block it and how DJ was going to sell it, and he did it to perfection. DJ did a really nice job. It's a credit to those guys. They wanted to make a big play and I'm just proud of them because they did the work."
According to Next Gen Stats, Blackwell covered 138.3 yards on the play, the longest distance traveled by a ballcarrier on a touchdown since Sept. 29, 2019, when Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland ran 141.0 yards while returning a fumble 100 yards for a score in a win over the Lions.
"If anything, it was more [about] being tired," Blackwell said. "It was exhausting having to run 100-whatever yards. At that point, [it was] just 'catch the ball.' Nobody even thinks I'm going to catch the ball. It's going to DJ. So just catch the ball and then you have guys in front of you."
Sunday's trick play was nearly identical to one the Bears executed at Soldier Field Sept. 25, 2011, coincidentally also against the Packers. Late in that game, Devin Hester faked out Green Bay's coverage team and Johnny Knox returned the punt 89 yards for a touchdown. But the play was nullified by a holding penalty.
The architect of the 2011 play was then-Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub. Hightower considers Toub a good friend. They've never worked together but were introduced to each other by the late Darryl Drake, who was Hightower's receivers coach at Texas before serving in the same capacity with the Bears from 2004-12. Toub is now in his 12th season as Chiefs special teams coordinator.
"We always show some of the things that Toub has done," Hightower said. "I really appreciate the influence he's had on my career. He texted me after the game. I said, 'inspired by you, buddy,' because we showed his play, the Knox play, in the meeting several times."
Hightower is thrilled that the trick play helped the Bears conclude their season with a victory over the rival Packers.
"I just wanted our players, our support staff, our organization and the City of Chicago to have something to celebrate," he said. "Seeing all the players and our staff smiling in the locker room is why we do what we do."
