Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds took his Bears helmet off and threw it. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett dropped to his knees and pointed to the sky.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s last-ditch effort had just been errantly thrown to Kyler Gordon. The cornerback, who’d just returned from injury, dropped an interception but ultimately knocked the pass incomplete after time had expired, formally securing the largest comeback in Bears playoff history.

After falling three scores down in the first half, the Bears beat the Packers 31-27 on Saturday night at Soldier Field in the NFC wild-card round.

[READ: Bears 31, Packers 27: Three observations in Chicago’s NFL playoff win]

“It was just crazy to think that we did it,” Edmunds said after the game. “That’s what playoff football is about. That’s our standard, and we’re got to keep it up moving forward.”

Exactly how the Bears surged ahead seems obvious. They scored 25 fourth-quarter points on a series of successful drives paced by quarterback Caleb Williams’ heroics.

Dig a little deeper, though, and there might be a more subtle reason equally vital to the dramatic finish: Four consecutive Packers three-and-outs to start the second half.

“I really think the defense, when they started picking up those quick change of possessions there in the second half,” Bears tight end Cole Kmet said. “You start getting into a rhythm a little more and you wear their defense out a little bit. I think the defense set the tone on that end, and D’Andre’s touchdown (with roughly 10 minutes left) was a huge jolt to get us going. From there, it really took off.”

The Bears scored one touchdown after another while the Packers stood relatively pat. They gave up one touchdown that was erased. Then came Williams’ 25-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to DJ Moore with 1:43 remaining.

Chicago’s defense had to make that lead stand. That unit, which couldn’t stop anything in the first half, weathered 11 Packers plays moving to the Bears’ 28. When it mattered most, the defense stood tall.

“We had to boss up, do what we need to do and play better,” Jarrett said. “It was as simple as that. Once we got that first stop, it gave us momentum and confidence to keep on going.”

[MORE: NFL playoff schedule: Bears to host Rams in divisional-round game]

The Bears’ defense struggled mightily in the first two quarters, allowing 7.2 yards per play and three touchdowns. The Packers were 3-for-3 in the red zone and 4-for-6 on third down.

A win was untenable with the defense operating that way. Green Bay picked Chicago apart, controlled the line of scrimmage and flashed superior speed against a banged-up unit.

Even during tough times, though, the Bears’ defense never wavered.

“We kept saying the same things on the sideline,” safety Kevin Byard III said. “We’re going to make a play. We’re going to get a turnover. It was a phenomenal effort and great job of staying in it. Going into halftime, it could’ve been very discouraging, but we just kept fighting.”

They’ll need a more complete performance Sunday at Soldier Field against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round. There was a lesson learned from this Packers clash and how the defense got right.

[READ: How Bears QB Caleb Williams engineered comeback playoff win vs. Packers]

Let’s examine how the Bears’ defense flipped the script.

Will was essential, but it wasn’t the only thing. Neither was improved execution. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen changed tact and put more mental and physical pressure on the opposition.

“DA did his thing as far as certain calls that made the offense adjust to it,” Edmunds said. “Guys were also just out there making plays. It was coaches and players collectively coming together to make good things happen.”

That flipped two key stats. The Packers were 2-for-9 on third down in the second half. They never reached the red zone.

Edmunds expounded upon why. In sum, the Bears wanted to make the Packers hesitate, to question what they were seeing as compared to the first half.

“It was making them adjust to things we were showing them,” Edmunds said. “We were giving them different looks, whether it’s pressure, blitz or whatever it is, or showing pressure and dropping out.

“There were a lot of different things that we made the offense figure out what we were doing instead of just lining up, letting them read the defense, and then dinking and dunking. I think that we did a good job of getting some pressure on the quarterback. That’s a credit to those guys up front. On the back end, guys made plays.”

[WATCH: Tremaine Edmunds: ‘One of the best games I’ve played in the playoffs’]

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s comments matched Edmunds’ description, as he said his offense didn’t handle the Bears’ defense well in the second half.

“They brought more pressure,” LaFleur said in a press conference. “And so we started to go to more of our drop-back protections because they’re firing corner blitzes and safety blitzes. And unfortunately, there were multiple occasions where we should have been picked up and weren’t.”

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