'Double doink!' Chicago Bears crash out of playoffs as last-gasp kick hits post AND crossbar (VIDEO)

The NFL Wild Card playoff round concluded on Sunday night with a nail-biting finish in Chicago as the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles progressed to the divisional round in the most dramatic of circumstances.

A tight, tense encounter between the Eagles and the Chicago Bears went right to the wire at Chicago's Soldier Field stadium, with the Eagles leading by a point with just a few seconds remaining.

The Bears, led by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, managed one final drive to get themselves into position for a potentially game-winning field goal.

But just a split-second before kicker Cody Parkey split the uprights with his kick, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson called a crucial time-out.

© USA TODAY Sports / Jerry Lai

Known in the game as "icing the kicker," calling a time-out just before the start of the play piles added pressure on the kicker, giving more time for anxiety and nerves to play a part.

It was Pederson's final gamble in a bid to mentally shake the Bears' kicker - and it worked.

The Eagles coach knew Parkey had a patchy record during the season, having missed 10 kicks at goal earlier in the campaign. The Bears' kicker even had one game where his kicks hit the uprights an incredible FOUR times.

And, even more remarkably, Parkey's effort hit the left-hand upright, then bounced off the crossbar before falling back towards play. It meant the Bears missed out by the slimmest of margins as the Eagles scraped through.

Unsurprisingly, social media was awash with reaction to the game's dramatic finish.

The contrasting radio commentaries from Philadelphia and Chicago illustrated the magnitude of the moment, with both radio stations equally stunned at what they had just witnessed.

The moment was instantly dubbed the "Double Doink" thanks to the sound made by the ball as it twice rebounded off the uprights and was referred to as such by a host of media outlets reviewing the game.

Immediately after the kick, NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport revealed his colleague Mike Garafolo texted him predicting Parkey would hit the upright with his kick.

And Monday's front page of the Philadelphia Daily News declared: "CLANKS FOR THE MEMORY!"

"I feel terrible," Parkey told reporters after the game.

"I 100% take that loss on me. It is what it is.

"The sun's gonna shine tomorrow, life's gonna go on, and unfortunately it's gonna sting for a while."

The season is now over for the Bears, but the defending champion Eagles, who scraped into the playoffs just a week ago, march on as they bid to retain their title.