After the Cincinnati Bengals scored 15 points within a minute late in the game versus the Chicago Bears, not many fans from the Windy City thought they would be able to bounce back from that.
With 54 seconds in the game, the Bears faced a 42-41 deficit to the Bengals and had to make a play to win it. On the fourth play of the game with 25 seconds left, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams found rookie first-round pick tight Colston Loveland deep up the seam and was able to break away from one tackle and run all the way 58 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 17 seconds left. That would give the Bears a 47-42 win over the Bengals, improving their record to 5-3 on the season.
Loveland, after all the heat and criticism he took through the first seven games, was the hero for Chicago. He finished with six receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the win. After the game, he gave the perfect explanation of what happened on the play to the media.
“So I’m thinking I got a pretty good chance of getting this ball. Caleb delivered it right on the money. I spun around and thought man I’m still up. All glory to God for that one really”
Loveland officially removed the "bust" tag and is the man of the hour in Chicago
Going into the matchup, Loveland had just 11 catches for 116 yards and no touchdowns. Many were calling him a bust and thought the Bears made a mistake by picking him over Tyler Warren in the NFL Draft.
Loveland took a bigger role in the Bengals game after Cole Kmet got knocked out of the game with a concussion. He stepped up in a big way as he had only one of his seven targets not get caught. Besides that, Loveland was tearing up the Cincinnati defense.
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This is the type of moment that could change everything, not only for the team but also for Loveland. He just developed the confidence he needed to run through the rest of the season.