Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) reacts against the New York Giants during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
The Chicago Bears are now 6-3, and this week the national media can’t stop talking about Caleb Williams after his clutch performance in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants. A new video released by NFL Films captured the dramatic final minutes of the game, offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at Williams calm demeanor on the sideline. One moment stood out above all: veteran backup quarterback Case Keenum turning to Williams before the game-winning drive and saying, “They’re gonna get you the ball back. You’re going to win us this game.” That line alone sums up why Keenum was such a smart signing — his leadership and belief clearly fuel this young offense. The full video can be seen below.
Case Keenum to Caleb Williams before the game-winning drive:
“They’re gonna get you the ball back. You’re going to win us this game.”
Adding to the moment, the Bears have already given Williams a new nickname: “Iceman.” During Chicago’s first snow game of the season, teammates and coaches were caught calling him that on the sideline and during the game. The nickname quickly spread across social media, especially after wide receiver Luther Burden dropped a comment on Williams’ Instagram post using it too.
They are calling Caleb Williams iceman and that's gotta be a top nickname for a quarterback pic.twitter.com/R3HOjWqkq2
It fits perfectly — a cool, composed quarterback who thrives when the pressure is highest, playing in the heart of Chicago’s freezing winter. “Iceman” might just be one of the best nicknames for a Bears quarterback in a long time. The fourth quarter numbers for Caleb Williams this season speak for themselves:
Nov 10, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan argues a call with official Phenzie Ransom (70) during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Chicago just dropped their third straight game last night, dropping a close decision against the San Antonio Spurs. This is the third time in four days that they have held a lead in the fourth quarter, but lost the game. All three losses were to top-tier opponents; the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Spurs are all NBA Championship contenders. After a 6-1 start to the year, the Bulls have cooled off to a 6-4 standing and will head to face the 9-2 Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. They’ve been without Coby White the entire season, and Josh Giddey missed last night’s outing. In last night’s crumble, one move made by head coach Billy Donovan has lit social media on fire. What did he do, and is it justifiable?
Matas Buzelis has had a strong start to his sophomore campaign. Through ten games, he’s averaging 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per night. These are all improvements from his rookie year. His most significant weakness remains his size and inability to defend without fouling. He did add a few pounds to his frame this offseason, but larger power forwards and physical big men are still overpowering him. This is partially Donovan’s doing, lining Buzelis up against a stronger matchup nearly every night. In the early going, Patrick Williams‘s superior strength has given him the nod against some of these tricky opposing forwards.
Matas Buzelis didn’t see the floor in the final 7 minutes of the game. Inexcusable from Donavan
From watching the progression of the game, Buzelis was likely benched due to his late defensive rotations, fouls, and Williams’s defense to that point. After subbing in with seven minutes remaining, Williams was 0-for-2 with a turnover. Buzelis finished with 15 points on 55.6% shooting from the field, added five rebounds, and didn’t see the floor while the Bulls blew a late six-point lead.
Donovan Has Remained Hard On Buzelis
The one constant between Donovand and Buzelis has been the standard for excellence. Any outing that Buzelis has lacked defensively, failed to get back in transition, or racked up fouls at a raging pace, he’s been pulled. It has not mattered the opponent or circumstance, Donovan has rarely let his youngster remain on the floor through rough patches and work through his struggles. In contrast to the fanbase, Buzelis has been outspokenly supportive of the stern coaching from his leader. In games like last night, missing his offensive explosiveness and defensive versatility led to another tight loss.
Buzelis will have to improve defensively and learn to defend larger forwards without fouling if he wants to remain in the game. His second-unit replacement, Patrick Williams, is also having a career year and playing defense at a significantly higher level. Last night, he had four steals, a team-best +9 plus/minus, and was 2-for-4 when subbed into the game for the sophomore phenom.
Do you agree with Donovan’s hard style of coaching on Buzelis, or should he let the youngster work some things out between the lines? In last night’s case, it might have cost Chicago the game.
Ben Johnson knew what he was walking into. He’d experienced what it was like trying to turn around a franchise known only for losing for years. The Detroit Lions were a laughing stock for over two decades, despite having a future Hall of Famer at quarterback. However, Dan Campbell arrived with a plan and executed it to perfection. So Johnson knew he’d have to be ready with one of his own when he took over a team coming off one of its most harrowing seasons in franchise history. Pulling them out of that dark place would not be easy.
Yet somehow he did it. Chicago is 6-3, already eclipsing their win total from last season, and is right behind Detroit for the NFC North lead. How did Johnson do it? Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated found out via Rome Odunze. It came from instituting a three-step system.
Odunze told me after the game that Johnson has drilled the players on the three stages of team building—hope, belief and knowing. “We are operating the stage of knowing now,” the second-year receiver said. “When you have gone through it and seen it through, you operate in the knowing.” And explains where they’re getting to with Williams as well.
“Anytime he has an opportunity to make a play for us, he does it,” he said. “It’s been awesome to see. He took it into his own hands, gave us the lead, and put us on his back right there. He’s always had that factor. I’ve seen that on him. Excited to see more of it.”
Hope you can win. Believe you can win. Know you will win. Getting a team from the first step to the last is not easy. Instilling hope was the most difficult part. For Johnson, that moment came when he helped engineer the defeat of the Dallas Cowboys after starting the season 0-2. Next came belief. Josh Blackwell kick-started that in Las Vegas.
Ben Johnson knew that last-second escape shifted the tides.
Those were the games Chicago always seemed to lose. They’d find a way to take a lead late, only to watch it slip away in the final seconds. Not this time. Two weeks later came what was probably the moment everything changed. The Bears exorcized their demons from last year, knocking off the Washington Commanders with a 4th quarter comeback, just like they’d done with the Hail Mary last year. The last of the three-punch combination came in Cincinnati, where Caleb Williams and Colston Loveland authored a wild finish with a 58-yard game-winning TD after watching the defense surrender a 41-27 lead. That concluded the belief stage.
Now they have entered “knowing.” They’ve become a team that knows they can win. You sensed it on Sunday against New York. Even as the Giants built their 20-10 lead in the 4th quarter, it never seemed like the Bears were nervous. They trusted that Ben Johnson would give Williams the necessary opportunities to get them back into the game. That is precisely what happened. Chicago scored to make it 20-17. The defense took its cue and immediately got a stop. Williams then finished it off with a long touchdown run to put the game away.
The confidence is brimming like it hasn’t in a long time. Johnson knows the job is far from finished, but his plan has worked beautifully to this point.
Ben Johnson took the podium after the Chicago Bears pulled off another late comeback to take down the New York Giants. At the heart of it was Caleb Williams, who engineered arguably his best all-around performance of the season. He threw for 220 yards, ran for 63, and scored two touchdowns. Both came at the end of the 4th quarter. Yet what stood out the most was the zero sacks the Bears allowed, and much of that came from Williams’ uncanny ability to slither out of danger. New York pressured him 13 times but never got him on the ground.
Johnson said he saw Houdini back there. It was an apt description. Harry Houdini was, of course, the first great escape artist of the 20th century. It seems the Bears’ social media team took that to heart because they put together a highlight reel of Williams’ best escapes, but did so with a throwback style reminiscent of the earliest days of film.
It was so good that if you blurred your vision a little bit, you’d swear you were watching old highlights of Sid Luckman from the 1930s and 1940s. It was a perfect homage to Chicago’s past glories by showcasing its future.
Caleb Williams is reviving long-dormant excitement in Chicago.
Fans haven’t felt like this about a quarterback in a long time. Even guys like Jay Cutler and Jim McMahon never reached the status Caleb Williams is flirting with. Both had great moments, but never quite developed into legitimate franchise quarterbacks. McMahon was hurt too often. Cutler was too inconsistent. Williams has the playmaking instincts and growing mastery of crunch time that top quarterbacks must have. Luckman was the same way. Only Bears fans alive at the time may properly convey what it was like.
There is a lot of work to do. Williams must continue improving from the pocket. He hasn’t reached full mastery of the offense yet. That will come with time. Head coach Ben Johnson has him pointed in the right direction. One can only imagine what those two can accomplish once the digestion process is complete.
Sep 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Chicago Bears running back d'Andre Swift (4) celebrates a touchdown with wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (14) during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The Bears walked away with a 24-20 win over a 2-7 Giants team that forgot how to football in the fourth quarter. That makes four straight comeback wins for Chicago, who now sit at 6-3. But don’t let the record distract you. Sunday was a mess, and several players did their best to blow it. These are the five biggest Bears losers from a game they should’ve dominated.
Zaccheaus wasn’t just bad. He was actively sabotaging the offense.
1 catch on 4 targets for 5 yards
3 drops, including a walk-in touchdown
PFF grade: 34.2, worst on the team
Three drops in one game? That tied nearly half the team’s total drops through eight weeks. The worst part was the dropped TD — a clean route, perfect throw from Williams on the run with no defender in range. He straight-up muffed it. You could hear Soldier Field groan.
And for what? Zaccheaus has zero traits Luther Burden III doesn’t have. The rookie brings explosion, reliability, and actual upside. Zaccheaus brings… vibes? Burden is already out-snapping him, and that’ll only speed up after this dumpster fire. Caleb Williams called Burden “one-of-one” after the game. That’s not subtle.
Stevenson was cooked by a Giants WR group missing Malik Nabers. Slayton —the guy who nearly got benched in October — lit him up like it was 2015 Odell Beckham.
Gave up 4 catches on 4 targets for 85 yards in the first half alone
Allowed a 31-yard one-hander and a 38-yard double move
PFF grades: 50.8 overall, 52.9 in coverage
Over the last two games, Stevenson has given up 263 yards on 20 targets. That’s a 75% catch rate. Not against Tyreek Hill. Against Joe Flacco and a Giants team that should be legally barred from calling plays.
With Justin Jefferson and the Vikings up next, the Bears need Stevenson to remember how to play cornerback fast. His hot streak from Weeks 4-7? Gone.
Blew a 3rd-and-long tackle that turned into a 41-yard gain
That missed tackle on Devin Singletary was brutal. It should’ve been a loss and a punt. Instead, it led to a field goal and a 10-point hole in the fourth. When your defense is already shaky, you can’t miss gimmes like that.
Sewell also got cooked by tight ends and backs all game. Theo Johnson ate him alive. Singletary embarrassed him. If Edwards misses more time, the Bears are in trouble.
Zero catches. Four targets. Two drops. And a shoulder injury that might sideline him next week.
First game all year without a catch
PFF grade: 46.8
Left in the second quarter, came back limited
Even before the injury, Moore looked off. He wasn’t getting separation. He wasn’t in sync with Williams. He wasn’t doing what a WR1 should do. His targets were already trending down, and with Odunze and Burden stepping up, Moore’s status is murky both health-wise and role-wise.
He’s the highest-paid WR on the roster. And last game, he was not playing like it.
Wright had two golden chances for picks. Dropped both. The Giants scored 10 points off those drives.
End zone pick ripped away before he secured it
Another went through his hands
Did recover a fumble, but too little, too late
This wasn’t bad luck. This was bad hands. And against better teams, those missed takeaways become losses. The Bears forced one turnover against a rookie QB missing his best weapon. That’s not good enough.
Wright is always around the ball, but he’s not converting those chances. Until he does, the secondary stays mediocre.
Bonus: Bears’ Self-Inflicted Wounds
The Giants are 2-7. They hadn’t won a road game in 11 tries. They had a rookie QB. They didn’t have Malik Nabers. And they still had the lead for most of the game.
Bears went 1-for-5 on 4th downs
Caleb Williams was let down by 6+ drops
Defense gave up 242 passing yards and 66 rushing yards to Jaxson Dart
Chicago’s margin for error is razor-thin. You can pull off comebacks against trash teams like the Giants. Try this against the Vikings or Lions and you’ll get embarrassed.
Ben Johnson even admitted the offense was sloppy and inconsistent. It was. Caleb bailed them out again. But you can’t keep asking your rookie QB to save the day when your WRs can’t catch, your DBs can’t cover, and your defense forgets how to tackle.
Final Verdict
Celebrate the win. But don’t ignore the tape. These five guys need to show up next week or some of them will find themselves on the bench. The playoff race is heating up. Time to cut the dead weight.
Nov 10, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers guard Elgton Jenkins (74) comes off the file with an apparent injury against the Green Bay Packers in the first half at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Chicago Bears have completed the easiest half of their schedule, reaching 6-3 after a 0-2 start. Now we’re about to find out how real their progress is. The remaining eight games come against almost all teams with winning records. Four are against the NFC North. The other four are against Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Cleveland. Logic would say they probably need ten wins to have a reasonable shot at the playoffs. That means they must win four of those games—no easy task.
However, it seems their odds improved somewhat after Monday Night Football. Not only did the Green Bay Packers lose 10-7 at home against the Eagles, but the news was made much worse on the injury front. Elgton Jenkins, their two-time Pro Bowl guard/center, left the field on a cart. It has since been revealed that he suffered a fracture in his lower leg. While it’s not yet clear if this will end his season, it guarantees he will miss significant time, including at least one of the games against the Bears in December.
According to sources, X-rays showed Jenkins has a fracture. The Packers announced it as an ankle injury, but it's possible it could be lower leg.
A fracture might actually be better than torn ligaments for Jenkins to possibly return this season. https://t.co/3ouaLe92r6
This loss makes life easier for the Chicago Bears.
Keep in mind, Green Bay’s offensive line was already struggling this season, even with Jenkins healthy. They are only 20th in rushing after being 5th last year. Jordan Love has also already been sacked 14 times. That may not sound like much until you remember he was sacked 14 times all of last season. Jenkins was by far their best interior blocker. Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, and Sean Rhyan have all struggled. Backup center Jacob Monk has just returned to practice after a stint on IR, leaving that position in flux.
Things don’t get much easier for them from here. They face a strong defensive front next week in New York, followed by hosting the Vikings with their mad scientist defensive coordinator, Brian Flores. After that, it’s a trip to Detroit before returning home against the Chicago Bears. Not having Jenkins for that stretch will be challenging. If they continue faltering, the Bears may have a chance to deliver a crippling blow.
Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) reacts against the New York Giants during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Green Bay Packers fans have been eating good for a long time. Many of them were born into an era when the team employed a Hall of Fame quarterback. Brett Favre took over in 1992. Aaron Rodgers took over for him in 2008 and carried the torch all the way through 2022. That is a solid 30-year stretch of first-ballout Hall of Fame quarterback play. At the same time, those same fans have watched the Chicago Bears mismanage the position countless times. Trades, free agent signings, and 1st round picks kept flopping. So it’s only natural that those people expected Caleb Williams to walk the same path.
Things were going according to the script for most of last season. Williams looked lost and took a hellacious beating. However, Packer fans exchanged nervous stares when the rookie stunned Lambeau Field with a 4th quarter comeback in the season finale. No Bears quarterback had done that in decades. Fast forward several months, and the script might need rewriting. Williams has now engineered four 4th quarter comebacks this season, guiding the Bears to a 6-3 record. His performance against New York on Sunday might’ve been his best yet, and even one Packers fan reluctantly admitted it.
This Caleb Williams game was the ultimate “eye test” game. Stats don’t paint the full picture of how phenomenal he was today.
Sack evasion, big time throws + runs, playmaking ability. All on display.
Caleb Williams is becoming impossible to argue against.
He hasn’t been perfect. He’d be the first to admit it. Yet the numbers tell a clear story. He has over 2400 total yards, 17 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. His ability to avoid pressure, protect the football, and still provide big plays is a hallmark of this new-look offense. He’s not yet in that superstar category, but it feels like it’s getting closer. Even the enemy can see it now. The extra delicious part of this is that Caleb Williams idolized Rodgers growing up. In many ways, his style of play emulates the former Packers icon.
If he reaches that same tier, Green Bay will get a taste of what life was like for Bears fans during that dark period. Until then, Chicago is just trying to enjoy the ride. It hasn’t seen this level of quarterback play in ages. All they can do is hope it continues and makes life more miserable for Packer fans.
Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (10) makes a catch against the New York Giants during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
The Chicago Bears found a way to win once again on Sunday, overcoming a 20-10 deficit in the 4th quarter to stun the New York Giants 24-20. Ben Johnson once again leaned on Caleb Williams, who rallied the offense in the nick of time. Part of the problem throughout the game was the receiving corps. Chicago had no fewer than six official dropped passes, and a case can be made for two others. Those blunders disrupted the offense’s rhythm all day, costing the team crucial points. Thankfully, it ended up not mattering.
However, Johnson doesn’t seem to have forgotten about it. The biggest culprit during that sloppy affair was Olamide Zacchaeus. He was responsible for three of the six drops, including one where he was wide open in the end zone. He has 32 catches on 58 targets this season, making it pretty clear he has a tough time bringing in the football. Johnson indicated that a shift in the lineup might be coming when he was asked about the ascending play of rookie wide receiver Luther Burden.
“He’s been very productive when we’ve been able to get the ball in his hands, and there’s a strong argument that we should get it to him more.”
Ben Johnson on Luther Burden being more involved in the offense moving forward. pic.twitter.com/QgQ1OKdwOz
He’s given Zacchaeus nine games to establish himself as a viable receiving threat. Nobody disputes the receiver can get open, but it doesn’t matter if he can’t catch the football with any consistency. Meanwhile, Burden has 16 catches on just 18 targets, almost as many yards as Zacchaeus and the same number of touchdowns (1). One guy is maximizing his opportunities. The other is wasting them. At some point, the head coach must do what is right for the team.
In this case, for Ben Johnson, that means scaling back Zacchaeus’ targets and giving them to Burden. Decisions like this are never easy, but that is why Johnson gets paid the big bucks. When tough decisions arise, you must do what is best for the team. Currently, that is giving more chances to the player earning them. Zacchaeus has nobody to blame but himself. He had every opportunity. Probably more than he should’ve. This is on him.
Nov 4, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3)and guard Tre Jones (30) celebrate team's win against the Philadelphia 76ers at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
After a blazing hot 6-1 start to the season, the Bulls have dropped their last two decisions against top-tier Eastern Conference foes. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated them on Friday night, followed by a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. At 6-3 and facing the San Antonio Spurs tonight, Chicago is quickly watching their impressive start come to a screeching halt. Even with a loss today, they’d still be well ahead of the pace anyone would have thought before the season began. Although they lost both of their two most difficult meetings of the year, they were within three points of both opponents in the fourth quarter. The most important takeaway from the weekend was that Chicago’s most significant void has been revealed, but a fix may be in place soon.
Lacking A Closer
Josh Giddey has been nothing short of miraculous with the Bulls. He has surpassed all expectations from the 2024 summer, when he was acquired, and is currently in the MVP race, nearly averaging a triple-double per game. Although he has turned the franchise around and is excellent for the first 40 minutes of action every night, he lacks the “closing gene.” Many Bulls fans knew this would be the most significant issue after seeing DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine depart, as those two primarily controlled the game down the stretch. In the closing minutes of each game to this point, the Bulls have relied on clutch defensive plays, basic pick-and-roll plays between Giddey and Nikola Vucevic, and random contributions each matchup that have propelled them to victory. This is not a sustainable formula for success in crunch time, and it failed them on Friday and Saturday night.
ideally in a game like this one, you’re getting a consistent (if not elite) offensive performance in the clutch from Coby White and interior help from Zach Collins. the loss hurts but the vision isn’t dead.
Yes, the Bulls are 4-1 in clutch games thus far. Do not be fooled by the record; this team needs a clutch shot-creator when the game is on the line. Luckily for them, the closest thing they’ve got to an elite playmaking and offense-creating option is close to a return.
Coby White Will Win Games In The Clutch
While the current product for the Chicago Bulls may not feature a clutch option, thankfully, Coby White is set to return as early as Sunday. He’s been the leading shot taker and scorer for the team the last two seasons, and is no stranger to game-winning moments.
In the 2023-24 campaign, White posted a +83 plus/minus, which led the NBA. His ability to contribute to winning basketball, especially in the final stretch of close games, is a trait that separates him from the rest of the roster.
How soon can White find his stride, and will the ice in his veins save some of the late crumbles by the Bulls?
