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Bears' unsung hero in Week 4 win over the Raiders gets another well deserved honor for his game-winning play

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 2:55 PM ET

Week 4 was a grueling win for the Chicago Bears, who hand to crawl back in all three facets of the game to secure a 25-24 win to get back to .500 going into the bye week.

Nothing seemed to be going right for the Bears in that game, outside of four early turnovers that the offense failed to fully capitalize on. Yet, the Bears kept fighting for all 60 minutes.

After quarterback Caleb Williams led the offense on a go-ahead touchdown drive capped off when running back D'Andre Swift reached the end zone, over one minute still remained on the clock, giving the Las Vegas Raiders one last opportunity to steal a late victory.

Following a 38-yard return by Dylan Laube, the Raiders had prime field position to work with, needing only two points to take the lead. With :38 seconds remaining, Chicago's defense forced a fourth-down field goal attempt that ended up being blocked to win the game by Josh Blackwell. And for the second time in the Bears' last five games, the team's unsung hero was rewarded for his performance.

Best view of the Josh Blackwell blocked field goal!pic.twitter.com/qkIcv9uiqF
— ✶ Ⓜ️ ▶️ ✶ (@_MarcusD3_) September 28, 2025

Josh Blackwell named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 4

Blackwell earned his second career Special Teams Player of the Week honor for his game-winning play in Week 4, with his first honor coming after the Week 18 game last season in which Blackwell returned a punt for a 94-yard touchdown. According to Bears PR, Blackwell is now the second non-kicker in Bears history to win the award multiple times, joining Hall of Fame returner Devin Hester.

Yessir, @JoshuaBlackwe12!
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 1, 2025

“I was so proud of him,” head coach Ben Johnson said of Blackwell after the game. “He’s a guy that is not only a key cog to what we’re doing on special teams but a key contributor there as a backup in our DB room. That was huge for him.”

Blackwell has become an integral piece to the Bears' locker room due to his contributions on special teams and the ability to step in a play as a depth cornerback when called upon to do so. Back in March, Blackwell signed a two-year extension with the team and properly rewarded.

Through four games this season, Blackwell has played 49 special teams snaps on kickoff coverage, punt return plays, punt coverage, and obviously on field goal blocking plays.

Blackwell becomes the second consecutive Bears' player to earn Player of the Week honors after quarterback Caleb Williams was named Offensive Player of the Week following his Week 3 performance against the Dallas Cowboys.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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