Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday after returning a punt 94 yards for a touchdown in the season finale win against the Packers.
The Bears scored on a trick play. Receiver DJ Moore lined up as the Bears punt returner with Blackwell as a gunner on the Packers’ left flank. The Packers punted left but Moore pantomimed that the ball was coming to him on the Packers’ right. Blackwell sprinted back about 60 yards, caught the ball on the Packers’ left, and ran untouched up the sideline for a score. It was the second-longest punt return in the NFL on the season.
The Bears ran a similar play against the Packers in 2011, only for it to be called back because of a penalty.
The #Bears ran the same trick play on the punt return in 2011 against the #Packers, only for it to come back on a penalty. https://t.co/Nx0Hr2PbI2
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) January 5, 2025
Blackwell is the third Bears player to win Special Teams Player of the Week, the first time that’s happened since 2005. Punter Tory Taylor won in Week 4 and tight end Cole Kmet, the fill-in long snapper, won in Week 6.
