Kurt Warner joined Rich Eisen on ESPN to share some of his insights regarding Wild Card Weekend. Warner, a former Super Bowl MVP, hosts QB Confidential, an NFL+ segment in which he breaks down film and QB play.
When asked about his opinion regarding the best play of this past Wild Card Weekend, Warner named Bears quarterback Caleb Williams as the best all-around performer, even among quarterbacks who didn't record a win.
“I’m gonna actually say, probably say it was Caleb Williams. I thought he played a really good game, and not just in the fourth quarter. I thought he played well early, the opening drive they drove down and got stopped, and kicked the field goal. And then their next drive they’re driving down, it was the fourth down, and I believe Luther Burden III ran the wrong route, and then it turns up being an interception there.”
Kurt Warner graded the film, not the final score
The 2025 Bears have been electric in the fourth quarter all season long, something critics, including Warner himself, have been on about. Warner knows this as well as anyone, and he acknowledges Caleb's performance through the game as a whole. He recognizes that Williams' first interception was due to route running, not to Williams' mistakes.
Williams posted an impressive 361 passing yards and added another 20 yards on the ground. Despite the Packers quarterback posting an impressive 323 yards with four touchdowns, Williams led his team to one of the most sensational comebacks of the season. With the Bears-Packers rivalry in full swing and the two teams rarely meeting in the playoffs, this was a massive outcome to a massive game.
“But the second half I thought he was really good. I thought this might have been the best game that he played all year long. I don’t think we saw great quarterback play this weekend. I thought Josh (Allen) played well too and played well down the stretch to keep them in it and get them back in it late. But I thought Caleb was the best, most complete performance of the weekend.”
This is extremely high praise from Warner, considering he's been one of Williams' biggest critics all season long. There's no doubt that Williams has had his fair share of issues, and his accuracy has been statistically abysmal. Warner is all about efficiency, and his understanding of QB play is nearly unmatched.
Williams finished the regular season with a completion percentage of 58.1, the worst in the league among qualified quarterbacks. If the Bears are to win against one of the top offenses in the league, all three phases of their game need to be elite.
Read more: Tremaine Edmunds says the quiet part only Bears fans know about Caleb Williams
This is the type of matchup that filters the strong from the weak, and any weakness becomes an immediate front-and-center issue. With momentum on their side, the Bears are in a good position to make a run at the NFC conference game.