Chicago Tribune

Dan Wiederer: Just like that, an unbelievable and crushing climax ends Bears' special season

CHICAGO - No way. There's just no way. There's no possible way Sunday's playoff game at Soldier Field ended the way it did. There's no way the Bears' magical season and an electric afternoon by Lake Michigan ended with a struggling kicker trotting out to either salvage or torpedo a city's Super Bowl hopes.

There's no way Cody Parkey crunched a 43-yard kick into the January air and watched it sail perfectly toward the Chicago skyline, splitting the uprights in the closing seconds of a playoff game.

Only Parkey would have to try once more because, well, why not? A predictable timeout by the Eagles canceled that first kick and intensified the pressure.

Ten seconds left. Bears down a point. Holder Pat O'Donnell

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