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Courtney Cronin
CHICAGO — Thirteen days removed from throwing a game-sealing interception in a loss to the Green Bay Packers, Caleb Williams earned a hefty dose of redemption.
The Chicago Bears came from behind in a wild fourth-quarter rally that saw them erase a 10-point deficit, recover an onside kick and score a touchdown — all in a two-minute span — to force overtime. They beat the Packers 22-16 for their 11th win of the season when Williams launched a 46-yard pass that DJ Moore caught in the end zone to secure the walk-off win.
“I knew it was good,” Williams said of his overtime touchdown pass. “You got that belief, you got that confidence, you got that swagger as an offense. You practice well, you hit plays like that in practice. It was pretty identical to practice, and when the play gets called and the moment comes up like that, it’s time to go hit it, it’s time to go win the game.”
The play that sparked Williams’ winning throw was installed Thursday after the 24-year-old quarterback and coach Ben Johnson met one-on-one.
“I was up watching film in his office and we just kind of went over small details throughout the play, and the next day we came out and discussed it and hit it in practice,” Williams said. “Ended up working out just how we thought.”
During the first Bears-Packers meeting of the season at Lambeau Field on Dec. 7, Green Bay cornerback Keisean Nixon picked off Williams’ fourth-down throw to secure a 28-21 victory.
In the final moments of Saturday night’s meeting, Nixon was once again at the center of the action, draped over Moore as the receiver sprinted into the end zone and hauled in the pass to end the game.
“Once I saw the defense was one-on-one,” Moore said, “I knew Caleb was going to give me a chance with the ball like he did at practice, and we connected on it.”
Bears defenders watching the play unfold from the sideline had an idea where Williams would launch the ball after seeing the quarterback connect with Moore on the play two days prior. Without receivers Rome Odunze (foot) and Luther Burden III (ankle), Moore was targeted a team-high seven times and hauled in five catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
“DJ was getting a lot of targets and a lot of deep shots [in practice],” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “To be honest, he caught it on one of our safeties, and it was on the left side. Like the same thing, going towards Halas [Hall]. I swear, when the ball was in the air, I knew he was going to catch it. It was crazy.”
Added Johnson: “I thought Caleb threw a dime in practice and DJ came down with it, and we’re hopeful that it may or may not be there, but we timed that one up right. DJ ran a great route, and Caleb threw him a great ball. I think it’s also a testament to our preparation over the course of the week. I think the coaches do a great job coming up with good ideas to put our guys in good spots and when you go out and you execute it on the practice field, it does become game-day reality for us.”
Williams leads the NFL with six comeback wins after trailing in the fourth quarter, and his six winning drives this season extend his record by any Bears starting quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger. He is the only Bears quarterback to throw a touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter and in overtime in franchise history.
“It was a great moment,” Williams said. “I got a lot of great moments coming up. I think it’s a signature moment for us as a team to be able to build this confidence. A signature moment for us to be able to be in the position we are with 11 wins and everything at the tip of our fingers is exactly where we want to be, I’ll put it that way.”
Saturday’s win marked the Bears’ first overtime victory since they beat the Ravens in 2017. The Bears now have six wins after trailing in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, the most such wins in a season since the 1970 merger.
“I don’t think I have been around a team that when it’s this late in games, just they don’t bat an eye,” Johnson said. “You don’t feel any despair on the sideline from any of the phases. You might feel it in the stadium a little bit. I could feel the fans kind of coming to life again once we got a little momentum going in the fourth quarter, but our guys, they don’t miss a beat. They just keep plucking along and they know good things will come if we keep swinging away.”