Bear Digest

Josh Blackwell Enjoys an Award at the Packers' Expense

Bears DB named as NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for 94-yard punt return on trick play against Green Bay.

Gene Chamberlain

Josh Blackwell, with Jack Sanborn in tow, gets ready to celebrate the 94-yard TD return Sunday in Green Bay.
Josh Blackwell, with Jack Sanborn in tow, gets ready to celebrate the 94-yard TD return Sunday in Green Bay. / William Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Images
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Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell received an award for his acting, but not an Emmy or Academy Award.

They could have given one to DJ Moore, as well.

The NFL announced Blackwell has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Sunday's 94-yard punt return touchdown against the Packers.

Blackwell basically convinced the Packers he was working in a double-team block on the gunner to the left side and then went downfield as a return man unnoticed, while DJ Moore was standing on the other side of the field acting like he would return the punt. Both had to put on acting jobs, especially Moore because he needed to convince everyone the ball was in the air and he was fielding it.

The Packers should have known something was up when they saw he was the one back because Moore hasn't returned a punt for anyone since 2021. Meanwhile, Blackwell has become the regular punt returner since DeAndre Carter went on injured reserve and they should have detected he was up to something.

It was a classic maneuver special teams coordinator Richard Hightower borrowed from Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, the former Bears special teams coordinator. Toub ran it with Devin Hester on the fake and Johnny Knox returning it, but that TD didn't count due to a penalty.

"We knew, first of all, going into the game that anything could come our way, in terms of, whether it was on (special) teams, offense or defense, a team coming in here, end of the season, probably going to throw everything at you," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said afterward. "And they got us on that one. It was a deceptive that worked.

"So we've got to just get back at it. We’ve got to obviously coach much better to not allow something like that to happen."

It was the first punt return TD for the Bears since Jakeem Grant took one back 97 yards against Green Bay without the trickery in 2021 at Lambeau Field. It was also the third-longest return on a punt in the NFL this season.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.