The season was lost and Dave Wannstedt said f*** it.
The Bears were 0-6 in 1997 and an extra point away from a 24-24 tie with the Packers. One little kick, 20 yards. The league conversion rate on PATs that season was 98.6 percent. Bears kicker Jeff Jaeger was nine for nine to that point. One minute and fifty four seconds remained. The fans at Soldier Field awaited the inevitable.
Kick for the tie, right?
Nope.
“We wanted to do something from a psychological standpoint for the team,” Wannstedt said after the game.