Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams would be the very first person to admit that the team's 25-24 tight win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday was anything but pretty, but they got the job done.
Williams truly had to grind out a gritty performance that saw him get one of his passes tipped up and intercepted by Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and get credited for two fumbles in the game. Those negative plays didn't stop the franchise quarterback from throwing the ball around.
His best moments came on the final offensive drive for the Bears, where he conducted an 11-play, 69-yard drive, completing four of five passes and rushing for 18 yards. That led to D'Andre Swift's touchdown run to give them the 25-24 lead.
Everyone knows the rest, as Josh Blackwell got the field goal block to seal the win for the Bears. It was the first time Bears fans had seen the team fight through adversity and pull out a victory after being down for most of the game. Even better, they saw their signal caller come up clutch when he needed to the most.
Williams closed an up and down game with the perfect comments postgame
The final stat line may not look particularly impressive, but it shows what Williams was able to accomplish despite the game's ugliness. He finished 22 of 37 for 212 yards and one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 18 yards in the win.
After the game, CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala spoke with Williams on the field, asking him a question about the team's identity. Williams paused for a few seconds to think on it, and what came out next was the perfect response.
"Yeah it's the fight we have for each other. At the end of the day, we knew when we went into that locker room, that wasn't our brand of football. Defense kept us in it, the special teams and defense right there at the end of the game. There's three sides to the football: special teams, defense, and offense, and everyone stuck up for each other in the moments we needed it. We came out victorious in the end."
These comments wouldn't have come out of Williams's mouth last year. Mainly because they were losing games often, but his maturity is starting to be seen, and more people are buying into Williams being a leader on this team.
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The Bears will be able to celebrate the win a little longer with the bye week, but knowing how Williams is operating right now, expect him to be back at the office right away with his head coach, Ben Johnson, watching film and working to improve.