Bears QB Takes A Nap During Mid-Game Weather Delay, Leads Huge Comeback Win
Baltimore was up 10-0 at the time of the delay. But after nearly two hours of severe weather, the Bears came back to win 23-20 in overtime.
Playing in place of the injured Jay Cutler, back-up quarterback Josh McCown completed 61% of his passes for 216 yards and touchdown in awful conditions, including a seven-play, 60-yard drive to set up the game-winning field goal in overtime.
And he did it all after the ultimate power nap.
According to Robert Klemko and Peter King of MMQB, McCown slept in the locker room during the delay:
"Backup quarterback Josh McCown, starting in place of the injured Jay Cutler, laid down and began visualizing plays, and before he knew it he was asleep. 'I closed my eyes and just tried to think about the game,' McCown said, 'and I think I dozed off.' Reserve defensive end David Bass did the same: 'I napped for 15 to 20 minutes. It was refreshing.'"
So McCown played seven minutes of an NFL game, went to sleep, and then came out and erased a double-digit lead for the comeback win.
McCown has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears. His numbers aren't all that different from Cutler's, and yesterday's win was huge for Chicago's playoff hopes. They're now tied with Detroit atop the NFC North.
The game ended up lasting over five hours because of that delay, so maybe McCown's nap gave him an edge.