A two-play sequence under dire circumstances during the Bears’ ill-fated late-game rally against the Packers on Sunday highlighted quarterback Caleb Williams’ growing connection with wide receiver Rome Odunze.
On the first play, Williams found his fellow rookie. On the critical play, he looked for him.
It was arguably the best example of why Bears general manager Ryan Poles drafted Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick this year instead of fortifying the offensive line or another position of greater need, even though he already had veteran receivers Keenan Allen and DJ Moore on the roster: It would give a rookie quarterback a dependable third option.
With the Bears’ hopes for a comeback shriveling after back-to-back sacks set up a third-and-19 at their own 21-yard line in the fourth quarter, Williams felt pressure, rolled to his right and threw a dart on the run to Odunze for a 16-yard gain to the 37.
“When it comes to two-minute . . . it’s find your one-on-ones and find your guys,” Williams said. “When it’s time to make plays, make plays. At that moment, it was time to make plays. We did a good job of finding Rome and Rome finding space and sitting right there, making sure I saw him. Just let it rip and let him make plays.”
On fourth-and-three with the game in the balance, Williams immediately went to Odunze, lofting a back-shoulder fade that Odunze turned and caught in front of Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon for a 21-yard gain to the Packers’ 42 to keep the drive alive.
Williams credited new coordinator Thomas Brown for a play call that might have surprised the Packers on fourth-and-three. But it came down to playmakers making a play.
“This is a matchup league, as everyone tells you,” Williams said. “To be able to have my guy Rome one-on-one with somebody, one off the line, kind of knowing the DB’s in catch-up mode, give him a back-shoulder ball, [we’re] either going to get a [pass interference call] or he’s going to catch it. He did just that — made a great catch, an unbelievable catch, and got us going.”
Odunze finished with six receptions for 65 yards, but his impact was greater than his numbers. He had two other receptions for first downs — a 13-yard catch on third-and-two in the first quarter and an eight-yard catch on third-and-four in the third, leading to running back D’Andre Swift’s 39-yard touchdown.
“You always have to be available,” said Odunze, who has 34 receptions for 479 yards and one touchdown. “Luckily for us, we were the ones to make that connection at the end of the game to make things happen. But we’ve got dogs throughout this offense to make things like that happen.”
Notes: Offensive lineman Ryan Bates, who started for injured left guard Teven Jenkins (ankle) but left after seven plays, is in concussion protocol. Jenkins could return Sunday against the Vikings at Soldier Field, coach Matt Eberflus said.
— Safety Elijah Hicks, who has started the last five games for Jaquan Brisker (concussion), sprained his ankle in the second half. His status for the Vikings game is uncertain. Veteran Jonathan Owens played the final seven snaps for Hicks.
— Brisker is on injured reserve and will miss at least the next three games. But he’s at Halas Hall regularly and hoping to return.
“I know he wanted to play this week,” safety Kevin Byard said. “He’s always saying, ‘I’m getting better. I’ll try to be out there next week.’ I know he’s determined and wants to play.”