Caleb Williams Flashes Late, But Bears Fall Short in Gut-Punch Loss to Packers
The Bears had the ball, fourth-and-1, down a touchdown with the game - and maybe more - hanging in the balance. Caleb Williams rolled left, eyes scanning the end zone, and locked onto tight end Cole Kmet. He let it rip.
But Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon read it all the way. The pass never had a chance to reach Kmet. Nixon stepped in front, secured the interception, and sealed a 28-21 Green Bay win that not only dropped the Bears out of first place in the NFC North - it also delivered a harsh reminder of how thin the margin for error is in December football.
For Williams, it was a moment that summed up the highs and lows of his afternoon. The rookie quarterback had come alive in the second half, throwing two touchdowns and leading a late drive that gave Chicago a shot. But in the game’s biggest moment, the execution just wasn’t there.
“Rolled out and saw Cole,” Williams said postgame. “I tried to give him a big-boy ball, let him go up for it.
I saw [Nixon] start to sprint, tried to slow him up and give Cole a chance. In those moments, it’s a got-to-have-it moment.”
Williams admitted he had other options - including a potential lane to run for the first down - but felt Kmet was the right read as the play unfolded. Still, he knew the throw needed to be better.
“Just got to give Cole a better shot at it,” he said. “Next time, extend him a little more, kind of lead him.
You want to put the ball in play and trust your guy to make a play. Just got to give him a better ball.”
It was a tough ending for a quarterback who showed real flashes down the stretch. After a sluggish first half - Williams went just 6-of-14 for 32 yards before the break - he rallied the offense with poise and playmaking. The Bears trailed by 11 at halftime, a deficit Williams said was largely self-inflicted.
“We were shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said.
But in the second half, Williams started to look like the player Chicago’s been hoping for. He made a couple of big-time throws to move the chains on the final drive and gave the Bears a legitimate shot to tie the game late. That’s the kind of growth you want to see from a young quarterback - even if the final result stings.
The reality, though, is that moral victories don’t move the standings. The Bears had a chance to stay atop the division and let it slip away. With the playoff race tightening, missed opportunities like this one become harder to stomach.
Still, there’s something to be said for how Williams responded after a rough start. He didn’t fold.
He fought. And while the final throw will be the one replayed over and over, it’s the totality of his performance - the resilience, the fire, the late-game composure - that offers a glimpse into what could be coming for Chicago.
But if the Bears are going to make a real push in the final stretch of the season, they’ll need more than flashes. They’ll need four full quarters.
They’ll need execution in the biggest moments. And they’ll need Caleb Williams to keep growing - fast.
Because in this league, especially in December, learning on the job comes with a steep price.