Caleb Williams did it again. Another sluggish afternoon for the Chicago Bears‘ offense saw them trailing 20-10 in the 4th quarter. However, this time the young quarterback wasn’t the primary reason for the issues. He’d actually played quite well despite difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, his receiving corps decided to have one of its worst showings of the season. NFL statisticians credited the group with no fewer than six dropped passes on the afternoon, and some argue it was more than that. Even so, it was the highest number by any team this season.

There was no bigger culprit than Olamide Zacchaeus. Chicago’s slot receiver had a miserable day, dropping three passes, including what should’ve been a wide-open touchdown. The reaction from Williams said it all.

In fact, that play may have had grave consequences for Zacchaeus. Williams has tried for months to make him one of the main focuses in the offense. He’s the second-most targeted receiver on the team. However, those drops may have finally killed what little confidence the quarterback had left in him. Nothing summed that up more than the defining play of the game. Williams delivered the kill shot on New York with his 18-yard scramble for a touchdown. What people didn’t realize was that Zacchaeus was wide open on the play.

There is no question Williams saw him. He chose to keep it anyway.

Caleb Williams made his thoughts on Zacchaeus crystal clear.

There is no greater death sentence for a wide receiver than when he loses the confidence of his quarterback. Zacchaeus did that on Sunday with his drops. Trust is crucial between quarterback and receiver. Nothing destroys that trust faster than the belief there’s a 50/50 chance a pass won’t be completed when thrown. That is what happened with Caleb Williams. In a crucial moment of the game, despite Zacchaeus coming wide open for what would’ve been a walk-in score, the quarterback didn’t trust the receiver to make the play.

It’s hard to blame him. The Bears might not have been in that position to begin with if Zacchaeus had done his job earlier in the game. It will be interesting to see what head coach Ben Johnson does moving forward. If Williams makes those feelings known in the meeting room, we could end up seeing a lot more of Luther Burden in the coming weeks.

Team social medias usually stick to straightforward content. They post highlight videos, injury updates, locker room and press conference interviews, and your occasional well-wishes. It was this way under Lovie Smith, Marc Trestman, John Fox, Matt Nagy, and Matt Eberflus. They are not prone to taking subtle digs at other people. Yet, recent evidence suggests that whoever runs the Chicago Bears‘ Twitter platform (X) might be taking things into uncharted territory. The first indication came earlier this week. James Odunze, father of Rome, drew lots of attention for reposting a tweet calling on the Bears to trade his son because they weren’t throwing him the ball enough. The Bears’ social media then posted a video of Odunze from the Bengals game with a single word.

“Selfless.”

Anybody with half a brain could see it was a rebuttal to Odunze’s statement. Well, it is possible things escalated this Sunday. The Bears pulled off another wild comeback, this time overcoming a 20-10 deficit in the 4th quarter to win 24-20. True to form, the video of Ben Johnson’s locker room speech came out soon after. That in itself wasn’t anything significant. However, once again, the words used in the post felt as though they were chosen purposely.

The Bears almost seemed to take a shot at Matt Eberflus.

For those who don’t remember, the former head coach often preached his core philosophy of hustle, intensity, turnovers, and smarts. Otherwise known as H.I.T.S. He felt this approach was foolproof, destined to make the Bears a better football team. Instead, he won 14 games before getting fired after last Thanksgiving. Sources have said Matt Eberflus was deeply unpopular in the locker room. He had a reputation for talking down to players, mistreating staff, and never taking accountability for anything that went wrong. Lots of people didn’t like him. It wasn’t just those in the locker room.

Seeing Johnson get his sixth win of the season, already eclipsing the mark it took Eberflus a season and a half to reach, was a clear indication that the Bears have upgraded. This is what a head coach is supposed to look like. That post felt like a jab they’ve been waiting months to throw.

We have been saying for the past few weeks that Darnell Wright is transforming into one of the NFL’s best right tackles. However, his domination came against some lesser competition in recent weeks. People weren’t ready to accept this reality until he faced actual good opponents. That moment arrived on Sunday against the New York Giants and star pass rusher Brian Burns. The Chicago Bears trailed 20-10 with under six minutes to play. They faced 3rd and 10 from their own 26-yard line. A failed conversion would likely drain whatever life they had left to come back.

It was here that Wright came to the rescue.

New York got him matched up against Burns, who has 11 sacks this season. It was one-on-one. Wright would not get any help. He didn’t need it. The Bears tackle proceeded to counter a Burns spin move with one arm, knocking him to the turf in the process. This allowed Caleb Williams to avoid Abdul Carter with a spin out, buying enough time to find Colston Loveland for a critical first down. Five plays later, the Bears were in the end zone, cutting the deficit to 20-17. That block kick-started the comeback.

Darnell Wright is becoming everything the Bears hoped for.

GM Ryan Poles took a considerable risk in 2023. He passed on Jalen Carter, the uber-talented Georgia defensive tackle, when he traded with the Philadelphia Eagles to swap spots from #9 to #10. Then he took Darnell Wright, who many experts thought wasn’t top 10 worthy. Chicago saw a big, strong and athletic player who was one of the best pass protectors in the class. They felt that if he could clean up some of his technical issues and improve his run-blocking, he’d be a monster.

They were correct. It took a few years and an upgraded coaching staff, but we’re finally seeing who the Bears envisioned when they turned in that card. If Wright maintains this form moving forward, the offensive line is about to enter one of the best periods it’s had in a long time. That is great news for Williams and the offense in general.

The Chicago Bears started the season 0-2. Everything looked dead. Nobody could’ve expected what would happen next. They have won six of their last seven games. Four of those six have involved a 4th quarter comeback. Yes, really. What’s remarkable about it is how they’ve happened. It started with the blocked field goal in Las Vegas. Then it was a game-winning field goal from backup kicker Jake Moody, who San Francisco had just cut. Fast forward to Cincinnati, where the Bears allowed 15 points in 43 seconds to lose a 41-27 lead, only to see rookie tight end Colston Loveland snatch the game back with a 58-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown with 17 seconds left. One can only imagine how Ben Johnson feels.

He was used to winning comfortably during most of his tenure with the Detroit Lions. This is uncharted territory for him. Sunday against the New York Giants was more of the same. Another clunky first half saw the Bears trail 10-7, and then 17-7 when Jaxson Dart got loose on a run. The Bears looked dead in the water. Then, a timely turnover and a 91-yard drive from Caleb Williams flipped the momentum. Chicago scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes to stun the Giants 24-20.

Johnson then gave the line of the season after walking off the field.

“I need a nap…this is exhausting.”

Ben Johnson summed it all up.

This is not something Bears fans are used to. It has been one or the other with them. Their wins have always come from taking early leads and holding them. Coming back in the 4th quarter was anathema to them. That is because they lacked a quarterback or effective offensive play-calling to make it happen. Suddenly, it looks like they have both. Williams was sensational when it mattered once again. Ben Johnson crafted the necessary plays to create big moments. The two are fast becoming a lethal duo in crunch time.

It would just be nice if they could start doing that stuff early in the game so they don’t constantly need these comebacks. That doesn’t feel like too much to ask. Alas, sometimes that is just the identity you have. Johnson will never apologize for finding ways to win. If it requires pulling them out at the last second? So be it. Whatever it takes.

What is a franchise quarterback? There are many definitions to it, but the one most accepted as reality is this. He is a quarterback that a team knows it can lean on to pull out a victory when everything else is going poorly. If that still holds true, Caleb Williams just had his first definitive franchise quarterback moment on Sunday at Soldier Field. It was an ugly affair. The 2-7 New York Giants took control by halftime and were up 17-7 with five minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Chicago looked completely out of sorts, largely thanks to the inexplicable play of their receiving corps.

On the afternoon, it looked like the Bears receivers had no fewer than eight dropped passes. It was a comedy of errors that ruined what should’ve been a stellar statistical performance for Williams. While he wasn’t always sharp, several of his best throws were wasted. Still, the Bears had a slim chance down 20-10 with six minutes left. What followed was a 91-yard drive by Williams to score, narrowing the gap to 20-17.

All they needed was a stop on defense.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson, their emergency free agent addition last week, sacked Russell Wilson to force a punt, which was immediately shanked for 26 yards. Williams took care of the rest, accounting for 44 of the 53-yard drive, including a 17-yard scramble for what was the game-winning touchdown.

Caleb Williams answers the bell every single time.

The Bears quarterback now has four 4th quarter comebacks this season. Chicago has played nine games. One time is a fluke. Two times is a trend. Four? That is reality. Caleb Williams has established himself as one of the better crunch-time quarterbacks in the NFL. Almost every time the Bears have been trailing in the 4th quarter and the game was close, Williams drove them down the field to give them a chance to win. This is something we never saw from Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, or almost any other 1st round pick going back decades.

People have loved piling up Williams when things go wrong. Yet they refuse to give him his flowers when he delivers. They will look at his 220 yards passing, 63 rushing, and two touchdowns, and say he played fine. That only proves none of them paid attention. This was a signature moment for Williams, and could gain greater importance if the Bears can use it to feed their success down the stretch.

At the midpoint of the NFL regular season calendar, and 5-3 entering today’s contest, the Chicago Bears were a very interesting team.

To this point, they hadn’t been great, given all of their injuries ravaging the defense. But they weren’t exactly a team opponents were lining up to play against, either. The Bears have a good offensive line, an excellent run game, and an explosive pass game that isn’t yet firing on all cylinders. Think of them as a better version of the Cincinnati Bengals — ironically, whom the Bears beat 47-42 in a thrilling, see-saw affair last Sunday.

Competitive and fun. Everyone would’ve signed up for that in August.

The lowly but feisty New York Giants came to town today for a wintry showdown between big-market teams. It was the last “easy” matchup for the Bears before their schedule turned difficult. It was a great opportunity for Chicago to pick up another NFC win and pad their record to 6-3 in anticipation of a tough closeout.

In the end, the Bears fucked around for 3.5 quarters and found another way to win the game at the buzzer. A 24-20 escape and they move to 6-3. Lots to dislike, but also lots to like – namely, Caleb Williams‘ incredible performance.

I shared my in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the game below. Follow me on X @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.

Thoughts and Observations

1. A wintry game at Soldier Field is one of the most beautiful sights in sports. Through two offensive drives, I’ve loved what I’ve seen from Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. Caleb should’ve had a touchdown toss to DJ Moore on the first drive on 4th down, but he couldn’t keep his feet in bounds or hold on to the ball at the end. The Bears did turn away the Giants on their own 4th down near midfield, as Montez Sweat and Noah Sewell blew up Jaxson Dart for a sack.

And then Odunze and Caleb took over on the second drive, converting a few big third downs en route to a trucking touchdown run by Kyle Monangai. Through two drives, Caleb has been fantastic finding throws downfield and firing accurately. The other playmakers need to step up to carry the load. And Monangai pushed a pile from the three-yard line into the end zone. I love the way that kid runs.

2. Signing C.J. Gardner-Johnson was such a good personnel match by the Bears to take over Kyler Gordon‘s role while he’s on IR. He’s been lining up everywhere, as advertised, and has blitzed in the Bears’ pass rush packages as well as I remember from his time in New Orleans. He has two sacks in two games for the Bears already. Always loved watching him play, and it’s been fun to see him do the same in Chicago. Not to mention, drafted in NOLA when Dennis Allen was there — it made perfect sense.

And the Bears have the coaching infrastructure in place to keep his extracurriculars in check, hopefully.

3. Well, when you don’t step on a team’s throat when you’re dominating in the first quarter, things will come back to bite you. The Bears were only up 7-0 on NYG after the first, despite a decided edge in total yardage, TOP, and opportunities to score. Not being able to pull ahead further seemed ominous after the Giants’ final play of the first quarter was a miracle catch by Darius Slayton on a bad throw from Jaxson Dart to put NYG at midfield.

Lo and behold, Tyrique Stevenson lost his man in coverage to open the second quarter for another 38-yard completion to put NYG in the red zone (another bad throw from Dart). And the Giants scored three plays later on a Dart keeper.

All of a sudden, tied 7-7. Fairly classic unfolding after the Bears continue to play with their food early in games.

4. Bears have been in FG range twice today and have opted to go for it on 4th down (DJ Moore end zone drop/non-catch) and punt (!). Cairo Santos has limitations, but in a weather game of this magnitude, he’s REALLY limited, huh?

Meanwhile, the Bears escaped humiliation after Jaxson Dart’s 4th down heave was broken up in the end zone by Jaquan Brisker. Dart and the offense had really gained some nice momentum and had the Bears’ defense completely lost – some really nice scheming by Brian Daboll against Dennis Allen. But the break-up preserves a 7-7 tie when it looked certain the Giants were threatening.

5. Another turnover on downs in plus territory… I’ll just leave this here… second half needs some major adjustments, IMO. But it only matters if the Bears can keep the Giants within a score after two upcoming possessions.

6. It’s 10-7 Giants at halftime, and the difference in the game is five drops on offense and two drops on defense — including a Nahshon Wright dropped INT in the end zone two plays before NYG went ahead on their field goal.

There’s a real risk of an upset at Soldier Field because the defense is getting lost against Daboll’s scheme and the offense can’t stop making mistakes. A clunker so far from Chicago in a game where they want to establish themselves as a fairly serious team.

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7. Making a one-read and run QB like Jaxson Dart look competent on the road is pretty embarrassing stuff. The Giants open the second half with an easy touchdown drive, capped by a 24-yard QB keeper by Dart where Chicago lost the edge. It’s been a really rough game for the defense since Kyle Monangai’s TD run. And now the offense really needs to respond given it’s a multiple-score deficit now.

8. Man, just when it looked like the Giants were driving to bury the Bears, Gardner-Johnson stripped Dart on another big run and the Bears recovered at their own 16. The defense has been on their heels for much of this game but that’s a big play with the Bears down 10 still.

The Bears moved the ball nicely – the big play a beautiful over route to Colston Loveland and a DPI vs. Odunze to set the Bears up with goal-to-go, but it fizzled out for a FG attempt. 17-10 Giants. Just an annoying football game as we head towards the fourth quarter.

9. One of the worst plays of the season is a Noah Sewell missed tackle in the backfield on third down that lets NYG pick up 41 yards en route to another FG to extend to 20-10. What would’ve been a punt became points to make it another two-score game. The Bears can’t help beating themselves, and today, it looks like it’ll result in a horrific home loss instead of Ben Johnson pulling them out at the last minute again. Very disappointing day for the whole team.

10. Goodness. An outside-zone run (why?) on 3rd and 1 loses two yards and Williams fires high to Swift on 4th down (with a lane to run available) and they turn it over on downs again.

Just have to throw the tape out from this game. Nothing to be learned. Just be better.

11. Unbelievable turn of events. Jaxson Dart leaves the game with a concussion and the Bears force a punt on Russell Wilson.

Then Caleb put on his Superman cape and willed the Bears to a touchdown to put them down 20-17 — escaping about 100 sacks on the way.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson came on another blitz on 3rd and 7 and sacked Russell Wilson to give the Bears the ball back, and a shanked punt put Chicago starting near their own 47. The Bears legitimately have a chance to win another game they probably don’t have business winning? Let’s see…

And no matter what, Williams has been flat-out excellent today.

12. Three plays later, Caleb takes it himself for a touchdown. A big pass to Luther Burden set them up in the red zone, and then Caleb took it himself. Unreal. Bears up 24-20 and now have to hope the defense can keep Russell Wilson out of the end zone. In any case, what a comeback.

13. Two uncalled intentional groundings on Russell Wilson — and it didn’t matter. A unique set of blitz packages from Dennis Allen, including one on 4th and 10, and the Bears escape the Giants to move to 6-3. Truly a heroic performance from Caleb Williams today. He keeps ascending. It’s beautiful.

14. I am of the belief the Bears have five wins this season that they find a way to lose in past years. They keep finding ways and it’s beautiful. They are resilient and they continue to find ways. Can’t ask for much more.

15. The Bears travel to Minnesota next week to take on the Vikings. I’m sure Chicago would like to avenge their Week 1 heartbreaking loss at home to the Vikings against the hometown kid J.J. McCarthy, but they have other problems after fucking around with the Giants and almost losing. Lots to clean up, but the Vikings are reeling themselves after a big loss to the Ravens. Can the Bears avenge?

Early prediction: Bears 23, Vikings 20.