The Bears were up against the ropes, with just over 10 minutes to go in Monday night's game against the Commanders. After controlling the early parts of the evening and getting out to a 13-0 lead, the Bears squandered opportunities and allowed Washington to get in front 24-16 in the fourth quarter.
It was a 55-yard catch and run from D'Andre Swift that stopped the bleeding and got the Bears back on track-- and it might not have happened if not for some quick thinking from Swift and Caleb Williams.
"I actually messed up the play call," Williams told reporters after the game. "So great job to the guys getting lined up in that situation and us being able to get something off."
Williams and Swift made magic with a near disaster
The Bears snapped the ball moments after the play clock hit zero, but no flag was thrown, so both teams played on. Williams said he and Swift were able to fix the play call issue after the ball was snapped.
Talk about thinking on your feet.
"Caleb did a good job of getting me the ball early," Swift told reporters. "I gotta see the play again to know exactly what I did. I don't know if stopped and then took off again, but just made something happen.
"Big play in the game."
Williams didn't appear to be at his best on Monday night, but he avoided major mistakes-- unlike the Commanders. Most importantly, he once again seemed to elevate his game in crunch time.
Over the first three quarters, Williams and the Bears struggled on third down, converting just 1-7 into first downs. In the fourth quarter, they flipped the script and went 2-3.
One of those third downs was the play where Williams and Swift corrected on the fly to score the 55-yard touchdown. The other was a third-and-five early in the eventual game-winning FG drive. Williams made a throw with reasonable anticipation to Colston Loveland to notch the first first down of the drive and build some momentum.
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Williams finished the night with 17-29 passing for 252 yards and one touchdown.