LANDOVER, Md. — Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ first game back in his home state was a disaster last season. This one was better.
Williams and the Bears were resilient Monday against the Commanders and rallied for a last-second field goal to win 25-24 at Northwest Stadium on a rainy night to get to 3-2.
“It felt great — back in my hometown and being able to come out with a win like that is big for us, big for us as an offense,” Williams said. “That’s a hell of a team over there. Being able to come out victorious in a dogfight where things weren’t perfect, weather wasn’t perfect, being able to come out victorious is big for us.”
Nearly a year ago, Williams led the Bears to a late lead before they lost the infamous “Fail Mary” game on rival Jayden Daniels’ 52-yard heave to the end zone as time expired.
The Commanders were up 24-22 and closing in on victory when Daniels fumbled a handoff at the Bears’ 44-yard line. The turnover opened the door for a winning drive, powered primarily by running back D’Andre Swift, and the Bears took it on Jake Moody’s 38-yard field goal with no time left.
It was the second of what should be many thrilling matchups between Williams and Daniels.
“You want to have those moments where you’re playing versus somebody else on the other side where you’re going to have a battle,” Williams said. “He knows that, I know that, and there’s other players in this league where you know you’re going to have a battle and you want to play versus those types of players and have those types of games where it’s going to come down to the wire.
“Those games mean a lot for us and they’re also extremely fun.”
Williams finished 17-for-29 passing for 252 yards and a touchdown pass for a 98.6 passer rating, while Daniels completed 19 of 26 passes for 211 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception for a 119.2 rating. Daniels also ran 10 times for 52 yards.
In the 2024 draft, the Bears took Williams first, and Daniels went second to the Commanders. They also won back-to-back Heisman Trophies in college, with Williams earning it in 2022 at USC and Daniels capturing at LSU the next season.
It was the second consecutive game the Bears won at the end as the try to flip the narrative that that’s the time when they fall apart. Williams believed the win over the Commanders reinforced that confidence.
“It’s big because we know we can win in those moments,” he said. “We would like to win by 30, but that’s not always going to be the case, so knowing we can win these games is really important.”
