The Chicago Bears have had a successful, and frankly surprising, season in 2025 with a record of 11-5 and an NFC North Division title to their credit — but they were also that close to two signature road victories over the last month that would have put them in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
Chicago trailed the Green Bay Packers by a touchdown late on December 7 at Lambeau Field, and timing issues on offense led to a Caleb Williams interception in the end zone that dashed the Bears’ hopes of a monster win in Wisconsin.
Then in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago’s late-game clock management, a touch of confusion on the final play and a moment of hesitation from Williams cost the Bears a chance to gain 2.5 yards and claim victory.
Williams spoke with reporters following the defeat on Sunday, December 28, sharing a message with his entire team about clutch playmaking.
“It’s frustrating, obviously,” Williams said. “You don’t want to lose a game ever. And then also being in that position and, you know, having a shot at the end is all you can ask for in those moments. But we gotta do a better job overall. Just execution. We made too many mistakes as a team.”
Ben Johnson Took Blame for Mild Confusion on Bears’ Final Play Against 49ers
GettyChicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
While Williams took a wide view of the Bears’ problems down the stretch, head coach Ben Johnson shouldered the lion’s share of the blame himself.
“We didn’t quite get aligned in the formation we wanted to,” Johnson said. “It’s on me. I didn’t give [Williams] the call fast enough, so he’s trying to piecemeal it together. I gotta do a better job on that.”
Chicago’s offense was a juggernaut for almost the entirety of Sunday night’s game, finishing the evening with 440 yards of total offense, no turnovers and zero sacks surrendered. The Bears lost to the Niners by a score of 42-38, and they might have won given one more play in regulation.
D’Andre Swift Cost Bears Several Seconds by Not Going Out of Bounds Late in Game
GettyChicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift.
Ben Solak of ESPN played the blame game in the immediate aftermath of Chicago’s loss in the context of clock management.
His issue was with running back D’Andre Swift’s situational awareness on the hook-and-ladder design that proved to be the penultimate play of the contest.
“Gotta wonder if Swift thinks the Bears still have a timeout on the hook and ladder,” Solak wrote on X. “If he beelines to the sideline he’s out at, what, the…[seven-yard line]? With 14 seconds left? First down matters WAY less than time on clock at this stage. Ends up a huge execution error.”
Had the scenario played out as Solak suggested, Chicago would have probably had three tries to gain seven yards and score the go-ahead touchdown. Instead, Williams had to rush the offense to the line, snap the football and spike it, which left just four seconds and one play remaining to score from between the 49ers’ two-and-three-yard lines.
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