The Bears’ 25-24 win over the Raiders will likely be remembered as the game that ended with Josh Blackwell blocking the potential game-winning field goal.
That shouldn't come as a surprise, considering how rare something like that happens.
But before the block, Caleb Williams needed to lead the offense down the field to give his team the lead. And that's exactly what Williams did.
With the Bears down 24-19 with 6:45 left in the fourth quarter, the Bears’ second-year quarterback led the offense on an 11-play, 69-yard touchdown drive to give Chicago the lead. Williams went 4-of-5 on his pass attempts for 42 yards and also ran for 18 yards, including a 12-yard run on second-and-7.
How Williams was able to get into the mindset of playing hero
Williams described his mindset when he enters those big-time moments in a game.
“It gets to a point where it's just a switch in my mind and in our minds of it's our time,” Williams said. “It's time to go win the game. There's nothing else that matters. Nothing is more important than that play that drive, in that moment. You take a deep breath, and you give yourself some positive information, positive affirmation. You go out there and you be as calm as you can be for your guys in my position. I think that helps the guys in those moments. You speak to those guys, you look at those guys in the huddle and you give them the information we need to be able to go out there and be confident, make the plays that we need to be able to go down and win the game.”
On the drive in the fourth quarter against the Raiders, Williams looked calm and composed and his team ended with a much-needed touchdown in the road win.
First-year Bears’ offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has only been around Williams for roughly 10 months, but that clutch gene is something he has seen from the young quarterback.
“I think that’s the stuff that has shown up really from the beginning here,” Doyle said. “His competitiveness in crunch time, it kind of takes over. I know he has spoken to you guys about that. But that’s what makes him, him. That's why he was in the position to be drafted where he was. That’s something that we love to see that come out and we just want to continue to put him in positions where he can go show that off.”
Now, Williams still has to prove he can consistently lead his team to victory in crunch time. According to The Athletic's Dan Wiederer, Williams is 4-for-11 on possessions that begin in the final eight minutes of regulation or overtime and have a chance to lead or tie the game.
Not all those losses are strictly on Williams. In the 2024 matchup against the Packers at Soldier Field, Cairo Santos had his potential game-winning field goal blocked. After Williams led his team on a touchdown drive against the Commanders to take a 12-7 lead with 25 seconds left in the game, Jayden Daniels completed a Hail Mary to win the ball game.
Read more: Caleb Williams recognizes the potential of the 2024 quarterback draft class
The game against the Raiders won't be Williams’ last opportunity to lead a comeback drive, and when that next opportunity surfaces, the Bears will need him to put on his Superman cape and come through when they need him most.