Saturday’s 22-16 overtime win over the division rival Green Bay Packers was exactly the kind of star-making performance the Chicago Bears have been waiting to see from quarterback Caleb Williams.
The second-year passer struggled through the first three quarters of the Week 16 win as Chicago fell into a 13-3 hole. Williams missed several open throws, and the Bears offense struggled to put points on the board.
But when the Bears needed him most—with first place in the NFC North and the potential No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line— Williams more than delivered.
Williams Accomplishes Major NFL Milestone
GettyChicago Bears QB Caleb Williams
The 24-year-old QB completed 19 of 34 passes for 250 yards, 2 touchdowns, and zero interceptions with a 98.9 passer rating.
He led the Bears to three scoring drives (one touchdown, two field goals) in the fourth quarter and a touchdown drive in overtime to pull off the come-from-behind win. In doing so, Williams made some NFL history while tying one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the process.
“Caleb Williams ties [Hall of Famer] Peyton Manning for the most fourth-quarter comebacks in a season by a player under the age of 25 in NFL history (6),” the NFL announced on the NFL+ X account.
Williams engineered a 10-play, 47-yard scoring drive on the team’s first possession of the third quarter and an 11-play, 43-yard scoring drive on Chicago’s next possession.
He also connected with wide receiver Jahdae Walker on a 6-yard touchdown to cap off an 8-play, 53-yard touchdown drive and tie the game 16-16 with just 24 seconds left in regulation.
But the real magic came on Williams’ 46-yard game-winning touchdown strike to DJ Moore in the end zone on a play that looked like it zapped every ounce of Moore’s energy to complete.
“Yeah, I knew it was good,” Williams told reporters. “You got that belief, you got that confidence, you got that swagger as an offense. You practice well, you hit plays like that in practice. It was pretty identical to practice. When the play gets called and the moment comes up like that, it’s time to go hit it, it’s time to go win the game.”
Williams Earns Notable Recognition for Performance
In addition to tying Manning’s fourth-quarter comeback record, Williams also earned some praise for another all-time great.
The former No. 1 overall pick was named Tom Brady’s LFG (Let’s [expletive] Go) Player of the Game. Brady raved about Williams’ heave to Moore in overtime to seal the win — a play the Bears signal-caller admitted was one he and Moore drilled several times during the week.
“It’s something we practice all week,” Williams stated. “It’s something that we hit in practice…you go out there and you practice these things and you practice with a certain competitiveness to you and a certain tenaciousness at practice, and you come out and let that ball go and know it’s good.”
While Williams’ performance was impressive, so to was Moore’s. He finished with 5 catches, 94 yards and the touchdown, and he’s now the team’s leading receiver with 48 receptions, 664 yards, and 6 touchdowns.
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