Bear Digest

Bears stunned by Caleb Williams' final miracle in overtime defeat

Locker room reaction to Caleb Williams' fourth down prayer pass to Cole Kmet to force overtime in 20-17 playoff loss to Rams.
Gene Chamberlain|
Cole Kmet comes down with Caleb Williams' miracle TD pass on fourth down from 40 yards downfield.
Cole Kmet comes down with Caleb Williams' miracle TD pass on fourth down from 40 yards downfield. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Cole Kmet waited, and waited as the ball Caleb Williams heaved into the air Sunday night after retreating backwards 25 yards seemed to hang up there forever.

The 14-yard tying touchdown pass on fourth down actually went about 45 yards in the air and once in Kmet's hands Williams had done the impossible again. This time he just couldn't complete the process, as that TD pass with 27 seconds remaining only tied it, and the Bears lost 20-17 in overtime to end the season.

"It just felt like a pop fly in center field," Kmet said. "A lot of those DBs have a tough tracking. I don't know what happened to the guy guarding me but yeah, it felt like a pat-and-go situation that we do every Friday (practice).

"It felt like a pretty easy pitch and catch and kind of felt like it was in slow motion. I can't believe Caleb."

They believe in him, just can't believe him. He saved his best miracle for last but it still wasn't enough to extend the season.

"They did a good job containing me and so I just gained a little bit more depth," Williams said about his great retreat. "I saw Cole one on one over there, with everybody else on the other side at least by the goal post. Understanding that (Cobie Durant) was on him, he's a little bit smaller guy and Cole is obviously a 6-(6) tight end and things like that. I just wanted to give him my best ball and give him a shot, understanding it's fourth down and kind of obviously it's the game on the line."

Williams couldn't finish this one the same way he tied it up, as the third interception he threw figured prominently as the trigger for the Rams driving to the game-winning 42-yard field goal by Harrison Mavis.

"Again, there are some nutty throws that he can make," Kmet said of Williams. "But yeah, obviously was glad it (the TD) could send it into overtime there, but it sucks to come up short."

The stats said Williams went 23 of 47 for 253 with three interceptions and two TDs.

The tying TD was one everyone will want to remember.

"Ridiculous. That's ridiculous," coach Ben Johnson said of Williams' tying TD throw. "I mean you talk about that fourth-and-8 from last week and how outstanding that was and I think this one was probably another level ahead of that.

"There's some things that you just can't coach. He's got that knack about him. He's clutch. There's so many good things. He's an eraser. I have so many bad calls each and every week and he helps make it right for me."

From the sideline, safety Kevin Byard was simply stunned.

"It was the most special throw that I've ever seen," Byard said. "I've seen him do that so many times this year, I mean, the one he threw to DJ against Cleveland (in the back of the end zone). Even just last week, the Green Bay throws. But that was insane. It left us speechless on the sidelines for sure."

Williams' throw could have set up a winning two-point try but Johnson decided on kicking for overtime and in the end it cost the Bears after each team had a possession.

"I thought about it yeah," Johnson said. "I thought about it.

"Probably what played a little bit of a factor was our goal-to-go situations hadn't gone very clean, our inside-the-5 plans hadn't worked out quite like we had hoped. So I just felt better about taking our chances there in overtime."

It wasn't all miracle throws for Williams. He was more concerned afterward about the pick he threw with the Bears at the Rams 48 on second-and-8 with a winning field goal possible with possibly two more first downs. He threw it for DJ Moore just outside the red zone.

"You know, I ended up getting hemmed up a little bit so I moved on and had DJ going over the top of all of it," Williams said. "Just a miscommunication between him and I.

"I tried to flatten him off under the safety and he kept it vertical from what I saw, obviously, in the moment."

If completed, it would have put the Bears in range to win it with a Cairo Santos field goal but Kam Curl made a diving catch and it set the Rams up on their own 22. They drove on the Bears' defense for the win."

None of that might have been necessary if Rome Odunze had come up with a Williams pass at the goal line on a 20-yard throw when he was open on the first Bears possession. He put his hands up and the ball just appeared to sail through them and actually struck him before landing on the ground.

"I just mis-read it," Odunze said. "I've got to come down with that.

"At the end of the day, that would be six points.  It would be huge for us in a game like that that wasn't very high scoring. You've got to come down with that one."

Drops seemed the order of the day for both sides with the weather as hazardous for passing as it was—6-degree wind chill and light snow all game long.

Just an ideal backdrop for another miracle comeback, but one that fell short of a miracle finish.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.