Bears QB Caleb Williams has all the luck

Some guys have ‘‘it.’’ And some guys don’t.

Jay Cutler had tremendous talent but couldn’t buy a break. Even when he was in the right place, it seemed like the wrong time. In 2011, Cutler was leading the Bears (7-3) to a fifth consecutive victory that would stamp them as a legitimate threat to the 10-0 Packers when fate intervened.

With the Bears leading 31-20 in the fourth quarter and about to put the hammer down at the Chargers’ 30-yard line, Cutler’s short pass to wide receiver Johnny Knox was intercepted by cornerback Antoine Cason when Knox slipped on the turf at Soldier Field. Not only that, but Cutler suffered a broken thumb chasing down Cason and missed the final six games of the season. The Bears lost the first five of them and finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

That was all too typical of the misfortune that dogged Cutler’s NFL career. There was always something, whether it was not enough weapons, a bad offensive line, a bad defense, a new offensive coordinator, a deflected pass, a receiver slipping on the turf or some strange defensive lapse in the final minute that would turn victory into defeat against the Packers.

Caleb Williams doesn’t seem to have those issues. On the contrary, suffering through a season under Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron as a rookie led to him being paired with Ben Johnson — still not the mentally tethered QB/coach connection it could (and perhaps needs to) be — but already better than Cutler and anybody.

And whether Williams has the quarterback instincts to reach that elite level or not, his ability to focus and slow the game down in crunch time creates good fortune. That’s what happened Sunday against the Bengals when, after avoiding a misplay under pressure on three plays in the final minute, he connected with tight end Colston Loveland and let the same football gods who tormented Cutler take over.

Bengals safety Jordan Battle carelessly tried to shoulder Loveland to the ground and instead bumped him away from safety Geno Stone, springing Loveland for the game-winning touchdown.

It remains to be seen whether Williams has the coveted ‘‘it’’ factor, but being the right guy at the right place at the right time can create the same success. And he already has the kind of good fortune Cutler only could dream of. Williams has started 25 consecutive games in his two seasons (knock on wood), tied for the sixth-longest quarterback streak in Bears history. Cutler’s best was 23 games, a streak that ended in that fateful game against the Chargers in 2011.

Flip side

2. The Times, They Are A-changin’ Department: A Bengals challenge turned a potential touchback into a Bears touchdown when officials ruled upon replay review that DJ Moore not only didn’t lose possession on an end-around at the pylon but actually broke the plane of the end zone for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 41-27 lead in the fourth quarter.

That’s virtually the opposite of John Fox’s bad luck in 2017, when he challenged a play in which Benny Cunningham was ruled out at the 2-yard line as he extended his arm to hit the pylon. Instead of giving the Bears a touchdown, officials ruled Cunningham lost possession before being down and called it a touchback, something Bengals coach Zac Taylor was hoping for Sunday.

Mild kingdom

3. How bad is the Bengals defense? The Bengals have allowed 284 points (35.5 per game) in their last eight games, the worst eight-game stretch in the NFL since 2011. And six of the first seven of those games were with All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who didn’t play against the Bears.

The Bengals, by the way, were the sixth consecutive defense the Bears had faced that ranked among the bottom 11 in the NFL in points allowed, coming after the Cowboys (31st), Raiders (23rd), Commanders (22nd), Saints (tied for 24th) and Ravens (tied for 24th). In fact, with the Giants (28th), Vikings (20th), Steelers (21st) and Eagles (19th) up next, the Bears might not face a defense in the upper half of the NFL until Week 14 against the Packers (eighth).

Big bullies

4. The Ben Johnson Effect: The Bears have beaten up on bad defenses before but never quite like this: They had five touchdown drives of 70 yards or longer Sunday for the first time in the Super Bowl era (73, 74, 77, 74 and 72 yards).

Not even in a 61-20 rout of the 49ers in 1965, when Gale Sayers scored six of the Bears’ nine touchdowns, or in the 73-0 demolition of Washington in the 1940 NFL Championship Game did they accomplish that.

Yard work

5. The Bears’ 576 total yards against the Bengals were not only the sixth-most in franchise history but the most in a one-score victory. They had 503 total yards in a 34-33 victory against the Cowboys in 1962 at the Cotton Bowl. They had 522 yards in a 29-23 loss to the Colts in 2016 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Magic act

6. Johnson resorted to the kind of trickery that didn’t seem necessary against such a bad defense, other than to give future opponents something to think about: Cole Kmet’s incomplete pass; the ‘‘Philly Special,’’ with Moore throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to Williams; and a double-pass, with Tyson Bagent throwing a 20-yard completion to Williams.

But besides showing off his unpredictability, Johnson showed off his propensity to throw a curve when an opponent is on tilt. The double-pass came after Austin Booker’s strip-sack was recovered by Gervon Dexter, and Moore’s end-around came right after rookie Kyle Monangai’s 39-yard run. That’s an aggressive streak that figures to be beneficial even against good defenses.

Growing role

7. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Monangai becomes the primary running back in Johnson’s offense after rushing for 176 yards on 26 carries against the Bengals.

In 2022, D’Andre Swift had 15 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown in Johnson’s first game as the Lions’ offensive coordinator but struggled to play well through injuries after that and lost his primary role to Jamaal Williams, who rushed for 1,066 yards and an NFL-best 17 touchdowns that season.

The compact Monangai has a running style that fits Johnson’s offense well — it fits any offense well, actually — and his improved pass protection is giving Johnson more reason to lean on him as the offense grows.

This and that

8. Quick hits: The Bears won the penalty-yardage differential for the first time this season (seven penalties, 43 yards for a plus-6), but only because their poor defense led to four declined penalties for 42 yards. . . . The Bears’ strength of victory (12-31-1, .284) is 17th among the 17 teams with winning records this season. They’ve beaten the Cowboys (3-5-1), Raiders (2-6), Commanders (3-6), Saints (1-8) and Bengals (3-6). . . . Rome Odunze, who is averaging 59.1 receiving yards per game, didn’t catch a pass against the Bengals. That was the highest average a Bears wide receiver had before being shut out since Curtis Conway, who was averaging 78.3 yards, had no catches (and one drop) in a 24-17 loss to the Lions in 1995. That ended a streak of seven games with a touchdown catch.

Center of attention

9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Center Coleman Shelton played all 80 snaps as the Rams had a season-high 171 rushing yards in a 34-10 victory against the Saints. Shelton is ranked ninth among centers in the NFL and fifth in run-blocking, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Rams were eighth in points and seventh in yards with Shelton in 2023. They dropped to 20th and 15th without him last season but are back to eighth and seventh this season.

Pick ‘em

10. Bear-ometer — 9-8: vs. Giants (W); at Vikings (L); vs. Steelers (W); at Eagles (L); at Packers (L); vs. Browns (W); vs. Packers (W); at 49ers (L); vs. Lions (L).