Story by (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune/TNS)Brad Biggs, Chicago TribuneFri, January 16, 2026 at 2:27 AM UTC·6 min readCHICAGO — With Soldier Field shaking ever so slightly during Saturday’s miraculous comeback in the wild-card round against the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears can say with confidence the fourth phase is back. That’s the term former coach Lovie Smith used about 20 years ago when urging the home crowd to be rowdy (just not when the Bears were on offense). It’s not that the fans ever went away. The team just hadn’t given them something of this magnitude to be excited about. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith the Los Angeles Rams coming in Sunday and a trip to the NFC championship game on the line, it’s also an opportunity for the third phase to make a difference, something Smith was accustomed to seeing regularly as well. The underdog Bears should have an upper hand on special teams, where hidden yardage and clutch plays can turn a game in a flash.
