With bated breath and a sense of cautious optimism, Bears fans braved the biting cold to descend on Chicago sports bars Sunday and see their team take on the Green Bay Packers — a match that would end in a loss of the NFC North division lead for the Bears but still leave them in a strong playoff p osition during a surprising first winning season since 2018. Even after the Packers scored their second touchdown of the afternoon in the second quarter, Bears fan Rachelle Catayong wasn’t too worried. She sat at the bar at Murphy’s Bleachers in Wrigleyville, its walls covered in baseball memorabilia, ornaments and Christmas lights. Declan Helm of Lakeview puts his hands on his head after the Packers caught a pass against the Bears on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. Helm was watching the game at Murphy's Bleachers in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune) “The fourth quarter is the only quarter that matters,” she said. This season, the 9-4 Bears have shown a knack for winning close games with last-minute plays that have clinched victories. On Sunday, they stayed somewhat true to that pattern, catching up to the Packers 21-21 in the final quarter, only to be beaten 28-21. Catayong’s cousin, Chicago native Mario Catayong, remembers watching the Bears win Super Bowl XX in 1986. He’s unsure whether he’ll see it happen again this season — but there is reason for hope. “I feel more optimistic than most years,” he laughed. Defense can be hit-or-miss, but offense has improved, he said, including quarterback Caleb Williams, in his second season with the Bears. Mario Catayong said he attributes the team’s successes to first-year head coach Ben Johnson, who has rallied a newfound excitement among fans for the team. “It all comes down to coaching,” he said. At Murphy’s, area native David Addison donned a Bears hat; next to him, his fiancee, Nicole Riegert, wore a Packers shirt. Their teams’ rivalry, however, has yet to come between them. “She’s from Madison,” Addison said with a shrug, “so that’s her business.” “We don’t beef,” the Wisconsinite said with a laugh. “The Bears have never been good.” Addison said he has come to enjoy the wins but has no expectations. “I feel like I’m playing with house money,” he said. Still, the stakes feel higher than normal as the team’s wins could earn it the NFC North title and a possible postseason run. In the crowded sports bar, a couple of Packers fans stood out more than Riegert did as they donned head-to-toe green and yellow outfits. From the kitchen, a plate stacked with Italian beef sandwiches made its way to a table of Bears fans. Across the room, a couple had been hunkered inside since noon. Kristin Hutson, a Presbyterian minister, had rushed from her Sunday morning service in Edgewater to the Wrigleyville bar with her husband so he could watch his team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, play the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the day. When the Steelers are not facing off against the Bears, David Coughlin also cheers for his wife’s team. Hutson, a season ticket holder since the 1980s, has a clause in her work contract for one Sunday off during the football season to attend a Bears game. “It’s been super fun,” Hutson said of the current season. “A lot better than last year,” Coughlin chimed in. [email protected] ...read more read less