CHICAGO — 13 days faraway from throwing a game-sealing interception in a loss to the Inexperienced Bay Packers, Caleb Williams earned a healthy dose of redemption.
The Chicago Bears got here from behind in a wild fourth-quarter rally that noticed them erase a 10-point deficit, get better an onside kick and rating a landing — all in a two-minute span — to power time beyond regulation. They beat the Packers 22-16 for his or her eleventh win of the season when Williams launched a 46-yard move that DJ Moore caught ultimately zone to safe the walk-off win.
“I knew it was good,” Williams stated of his time beyond regulation landing move. “You bought that perception, you bought that confidence, you bought that swagger as an offense. You observe nicely, you hit performs like that in observe. It was fairly an identical to observe, and when the play will get known as and the second comes up like that, it is time to go hit it, it is time to go win the sport.”
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The play that sparked Williams’ successful throw was put in Thursday after the 24-year-old quarterback and coach Ben Johnson met one-on-one.
“I used to be up watching movie in his workplace and we simply sort of went over small particulars all through the play, and the subsequent day we got here out and mentioned it and hit it in observe,” Williams stated. “Ended up understanding simply how we thought.”
Throughout the first Bears-Packers assembly of the season at Lambeau Subject on Dec. 7, Inexperienced Bay cornerback Keisean Nixon picked off Williams’ fourth-down throw to safe a 28-21 victory.
Within the closing moments of Saturday night time’s assembly, Nixon was as soon as once more on the middle of the motion, draped over Moore because the large receiver sprinted into the tip zone and hauled within the move to finish the sport.
“As soon as I noticed the protection was one-on-one,” Moore stated, “I knew Caleb was going to present me an opportunity with the ball like he did at observe, and we related on it.”
Bears defenders watching the play unfold from the sideline had an concept the place Williams would launch the ball after seeing the quarterback join with Moore on the play two days prior. With out large receivers Rome Odunze (foot) and Luther Burden III (ankle), Moore was focused a team-high seven occasions and hauled in 5 catches for 97 yards and a landing.
“DJ was getting a variety of targets and a variety of deep photographs [in practice],” security Jaquan Brisker stated. “To be sincere, he caught it on certainly one of our safeties, and it was on the left aspect. Like the identical factor, going in the direction of Halas [Hall]. I swear, when the ball was within the air, I knew he was going to catch it. It was loopy.”
Added Johnson: “I believed Caleb threw a dime in observe and DJ got here down with it, and we’re hopeful that it might or will not be there, however we timed that one up proper. DJ ran an excellent route, and Caleb threw him an excellent ball. I believe it is also a testomony to our preparation over the course of the week. I believe the coaches do an excellent job developing with good concepts to place our guys in good spots, and once you exit and also you execute it on the observe area, it does develop into game-day actuality for us.”
Williams leads the NFL with six comeback wins after trailing within the fourth quarter, and his six successful drives this season lengthen his file by any Bears beginning quarterback because the AFL-NFL merger. He’s the one Bears quarterback to throw a landing within the closing 30 seconds of the fourth quarter and in time beyond regulation in franchise historical past.
“It was an excellent second,” Williams stated. “I obtained a variety of nice moments developing. I believe it is a signature second for us as a crew to have the ability to construct this confidence. A signature second for us to have the ability to be within the place we’re with 11 wins and all the things on the tip of our fingers is precisely the place we need to be, I am going to put it that means.”
Saturday’s win marked the Bears’ first time beyond regulation victory since they beat the Baltimore Ravens in 2017. The Bears now have six wins after trailing within the closing two minutes of the fourth quarter, essentially the most in a season because the 1970 merger.
“I do not suppose I’ve been round a crew that, when it is this late in video games, simply they do not bat an eye fixed,” Johnson stated. “You do not really feel any despair on the sideline from any of the phases. You may really feel it within the stadium a little bit bit. I may really feel the followers sort of coming to life once more as soon as we obtained a little bit momentum going within the fourth quarter, however our guys, they do not miss a beat. They simply hold plucking alongside, and so they know good issues will come if we hold swinging away.”
