The nerves were palpable among Chicago Bears fans going into Monday night. They still had night terrors from the last time their team visited Washington to play the Commanders. What should’ve been their fifth win of the season became one of the great disasters in modern franchise history. Matt Eberflus’ blown call that gave up 13 free yards. Tyrique Stevenson jawing at fans during the final play. Jayden Daniels hits Noah Brown for the Hail Mary—game over, and in hindsight, season over. Chicago only won one more game after that fiasco. However, Caleb Williams didn’t see it as a life-altering experience. He saw it as unfinished business.
That game should’ve been a signature moment for him. Nobody remembers how he overcame a rough performance to lead the team on a 72-yard drive with four minutes left to score the go-ahead touchdown. Instead, it was a comedy of errors that became Daniels’ launch point. Going into the rematch, Williams had something to prove. He didn’t just want to win. He expected to win. Don’t believe it?
Cameras captured a moment just before the game, showing the quarterback waiting in the tunnel. He was calmly chewing gum. At one point, he glanced right into the camera and nodded. It was a fourth wall break that told everybody he had things under control.
Caleb Williams’ steadiness was evident all night.
He didn’t have a perfect game. There were some missed opportunities and lulls. However, the Bears’ young quarterback never seemed to fear the moment. The situation certainly did everything possible to change that. Bad weather made passing the ball difficult. The referees made some horrible calls to rob Chicago of points. Washington led a furious comeback to take what felt like a crippling 24-16 lead.
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To his credit, Caleb Williams didn’t flinch. He quickly answered with a touchdown to make it 24-22, then after a defensive takeaway, guided the offense to a game-winning field goal. He’d told everybody with that nod. Everything would work out. Just trust him. That marked the sixth time Williams had tied or taken the lead in a game during the 4th quarter.
