Bear Digest

Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams own up to botching the final play

The Bears' loss came down to one final play again, and both their coach and QB saw flaws of their own leading to the 42-38 loss.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams looks downfield for the Bears in the second half of the loss to San Francisco.
Caleb Williams looks downfield for the Bears in the second half of the loss to San Francisco. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

There was more talk about the valuable experience the Bears gained by going toe to toe against San Francisco's explosive offense and taking it to the edge of the goal line on the final play of Sunday's 42-38 loss.

Ultimately, they didn't really want to hang their hats on this. They've been through these comeback attempts too many times to get excited over losing when they couldn't get the play off like they wanted to run it for the win.

After all of that talk about attention to detail and getting plays in quickly so the offense can make presnap alterations, coach Ben Johnson himself fouled up the last play of the game, and then Caleb Williams compounded it with another mistake.

"We ended up getting lined up with not much time (on the play clock) and we were slightly lined up wrong and so I didn't have enough time to fix it, having to (add) motion and things like that," Williams told reporters afterward. "So we just had to try to make something out of nothing in that situation."

Williams also noted how some of the players didn't hear him in the huddle.

"I've got to do a better job in those moments of yelling or whatever the case may be and make sure everybody hears me," Williams said. "And then from there the guys have to get lined up, and if the guys are wrong I've got to be able to fix them.

“The (play) clock was an issue in that moment."

This was where Johnson's mistake came into play.

"We didn't quite get aligned in the formation we wanted," Johnson said. "So it's on me. I didn't get him the call fast enough and so he's trying to piecemeal it together.

"I've got to do a better job on that."

Then Williams needs to actually execute the throw better. He stepped one way and had to avoid the rush, so he more or less ad-libbed it, leaking out to his left while looking for someone, anyone, before his rushed, off-balanced throw landed short of Jahdae Walker on the ground near the front of the end zone.

This one was more like the last moment at Green Bay, when he threw the interception in the end zone, except the incompletion ended things just as effectively.

"I've just gotta give my guys a shot in that situation," Williams said. "I think I haven't obviously gone back and watched it yet but I think I ended up dirting the ball, didn't get my legs into it."

The Bears had not executed perfectly throughout the final fateful drive, and a  couple dropped passes loomed large as they were forced to use up all their timeouts. But they nearly pulled it off with a hook-and-ladder play with D'Andre Swift taking the lateral and driving to within 2 yards of the goal line to set up the failed final play.

"I think we've proven who we are," Williams said. "We'll fight. And I think we're a team to be reckoned with."

It takes more than just fighting to beat the best teams in pressure situations. It takes flawless execution under pressure.

If there is a lesson to be learned here it is this, rather than the thought that they are able to go toe to toe with anyone.

"We know who we are, we know exactly what we need to do to be able to win games," Williams said. "Yeah, we fall short in this situation, but we've been on the other side of them. We know we can be a lot better here coming up."

They will have to because after next week the only lesson to be learned with execution less than flawless is that their season is over.

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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.