The cardiac Chicago Bears strike again! Caleb Williams carried the team on his back and rallied the Bears to another comeback win, this time a 24-20 over the feisty New York Giants in a snowy slugfest at Soldier Field.
Williams had been let down repeatedly by his receivers all afternoon. Both DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus couldn’t haul in a potential touchdown pass from Williams in the first quarter. Zaccheaus, in particular, had a rough game as he had four drops, finishing with only one catch for five yards. But just like the Week 9 shootout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Williams took over.
How Williams' clutch fourth quarter was big for Bears in the win
Down 20-10 late in the fourth quarter, Williams turned in a Superman and led them to two late touchdowns. On the Bears’ final two touchdown drives, Williams showcased his scrambling skills and field vision that made him the No. 1 overall pick. With 3:56 left, Williams found Rome Odunze in the back of the end zone for a two-yard score. That was set up by his 29-yard run on the previous play.
The Bears received a massive assist on their final drive when Giants punter Jaime Gillian shanked a punt, which only traveled 26 yards to the Bears' 47-yard line. Williams hit Luther Burden III for 27 yards and followed it up with a 17-yard scramble to the end zone with 1:47 left, giving Chicago its first lead when running back Kyle Monangai scored in the first quarter.
Williams finished with 20 of 36 completions for 220 yards and 60 rushing yards. Most pundits will point out that he had a mediocre game just by looking at the numbers. Most of them will run with a narrative that Williams is still terrible and head coach Ben Johnson is becoming restless with his development.
But Williams was victimized by not only his receivers. The defense had no answers against the rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who looked like Josh Allen all day with his passing and rushing, as he scored two rushing touchdowns to give the Giants a 17-7 lead before he exited with a concussion in the third quarter, which changed the momentum.
At 6–3, the Bears remain firmly in the playoff hunt, thanks to Williams’ ability to extend the play with his legs and ability to lead under pressure for the second consecutive week. The stats will not show it, but he was the best player on the field on Sunday and displayed the clutchness he was known for at both Oklahoma and USC in the final two drives.
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The remaining schedule will only get tougher, as every team except Minnesota and Cleveland has a winning record as of this writing. But as we saw on Sunday, he will give the Bears a fighting chance every week, even if his teammates fail.