Cheating Scandal Brewing? Packers’ Heaters Fail While Bears’ Stay On in Chicago

The heaters inside the Packers dugout stopped working before halftime and the Bear later went onto win the game.

Cheating Scandal Brewing? Packers’ Heaters Fail While Bears’ Stay On in Chicago

The heaters at Packers dugout stopped working (Image via IMAGO/X)

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During the Week 16 Saturday night matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, an unusual incident occurred. For some unknown reason, the giant heaters inside the Packers’ dugout malfunctioned and stopped working.

It gets cold in Chicago at this time of the year. The temperature can dip as low as 20 degrees. Saturday was no different. According to Accuweather.com’s forecast, the temp at Soldier Field would be around 33 degrees or lower. And the gust of wind could hit as high as 28 MPH in the first two hours of the contest.

To counter that, the Stadium authorities installed giant heaters on both dugouts to keep the players warm. They worked fine until the heaters on the Packers’ side reportedly stopped working.

The incident took place before the two-minute drill in the second half. Fox Sports cameras documented the entire conundrum. Sideline reporter Erin Andrews asked her colleague and retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady for his expert opinion on the matter. Brady claimed that he had never been in a situation where the heater gave out.

The reason behind the malfunction is unclear. In the meantime, the heat switched over to Brady. Several poked fun at the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal caller, who knows a thing or two about scandalous football moments.

Brady found himself at the center of the infamous ‘Deflategate‘ scandal during the 2014 AFC Championship game between the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. The 48-year-old was accused of deliberately deflating the ball for their benefit. The NFL launched an investigation that revealed Brady may have been aware of the deflation. He was suspended for four games.

Caleb Williams leads the Bears to an overtime victory

The Packers arrived in Chicago as a rare 1.5-point underdog. They traveled without star edge rusher Micah Parsons and lost quarterback Jordan Love in the first half to a concussion. Malik Willis came on and threw one touchdown. The Packers entered the fourth quarter with a ten-point lead.

Cheating Scandal Brewing? Packers’ Heaters Fail While Bears’ Stay On in Chicago
Caleb Williams (Image via IMAGO)

Cairo Santos reduced the deficit with 51 and 43-yard field goals. However, the Packers’ defense played tight football despite Parsons’ absence and looked in control of the game. Ben Stevens, known for dabbling in the realm of stats and game odds, tweeted that the Bears only had a 0.9% chance of turning the game around in the final moments.

How Bears quarterback Caleb Williams displayed his clutch genes, seconds before the clock hit zero. Williams connected with rookie receiver Jahdae Walker on a 6-yard touchdown to force overtime.

The Packers went first, but their drive ended with a turnover on downs. Williams took just four plays to find his star receiver, DJ Moore, for a 46-yard score. With Moore’s touchdown, the game ended 22-16. Moore finished with 5 catches for 97 yards and 1 touchdown.

Williams threw for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19 completions. It was Williams’ sixth game-winning drive of the season, matching Hall of Famer Peyton Manning for the most in a single season by a player under 25.

After the game, Bears head coach Ben Johnson raved about Williams’ clutch performance. He replied:

He [Caleb Williams] always makes plays when needed. He’s clutch like that. He always keeps a level head. He understands the situation so, so well.

Williams has accumulated 3400 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions in 15 games. However, he’s unlikely to reach his goal of 70% pass completion, having achieved only 59% so far with two more games left in the season.

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