Caleb Williams Just Told Maxx Crosby How He Pulled Off This Iconic Touchdown

Despite a heartbreaking Divisional round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears fans have entered the offseason with high hopes for the future, and it's all thanks to quarterback Caleb Williams. Down by a touchdown in the closing moments of regulation of that game, Caleb Williams forced overtime with the wildest throw of the year after scrambling back almost to midfield.

HOW IN THE WORLD!!! pic.twitter.com/N4LhcTs6Xn
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 19, 2026

One can only marvel at how Williams was even able to get the throw off in this situation. Scrambling backwards on a cold and snowy night with defenders in his face, how did he even see Cole Kmet in the endzone and deliver him a catchable ball?

Well, we finally have the answer to that question. On Tuesday, Caleb Williams appeared on Maxx Crosby's podcast, The Rush, to talk all things football. Before we even get to their conversation, it is indeed notable that Williams paid a visit to Crosby in the midst of trade speculation surrounding Crosby, with the Bears in the middle of it all. It sure seemed like an effort to sway the five-time Pro Bowler into requesting a trade to Chicago, and some of the things Williams told Crosby will bring a smile to Bears fans' faces.

But returning to their football talk, Williams' mind-blowing touchdown to Cole Kmet in the Divisional round came up, and he broke down the entire play from his perspective. According to Williams, he really wasn't thinking at all as that play progressed. He saw that the Rams had everyone covered perfectly. He tried to buy time, but the pass rush also executed their assignment to perfection.

At that point, pure instinct took over for Williams. He realized he had to stop scrambling backwards, so he set his feet, looked to the endzone, and saw his six-foot-six, 262-pound tight end alone on the left side with a much smaller defensive back. Williams did the only thing he could do: throw Kmet a go-up-and-get-it ball to the corner of the endzone, and the rest is history.

Caleb Williams says Ben Johnson was pretty upset at first about his wild TD against the Rams.

Caleb then broke down his thought process during the play.

Even Maxx Crosby couldn’t believe it. pic.twitter.com/KAlqzoHUKP
— Dave (@davebfr) February 17, 2026

From 'oh no' to 'oh wow' in an instant

It was funny to hear Williams describe Ben Johnson's initial reaction to this play, tilting his head back in frustration as soon as Williams began to scramble backwards. I assume every Bears fan reacted the same way in the moment. But just like that time Devin Hester returned a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown, what looked like a bad decision at first quickly became an electric play.

Scrambling backwards was a bad college habit that Williams carried over into his rookie year, and he frequently paid the price. In Year 2, he had mostly fixed this problem, but it came back at the worst possible time. Luckily, Williams put on the Superman cape once more and uncorked a throw that has already earned its place in NFL postseason history.

Caleb Williams truly has the 'it' factor

Everyone who ever makes an NFL roster is one of the very best football players in the world, but once a player reaches that level, the hierarchy is decided by the thinnest of margins, and not all of them are even quantifiable. What I mean is that the difference between a good NFL quarterback and a great NFL quarterback is an innate ability to make plays happen at the most opportune moment.

It has nothing to do with skill, smarts, or speed. Grab any NFL quarterback and have them recreate Williams' touchdown to Kmet in a practice setting, and I would bet that every single one of them could complete that pass. But in a real game, with the entire season on the line and a live defense, the only other quarterbacks I would trust to even attempt that throw are Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

That's why Bears fans are so excited, even if it hasn't all quite come together yet for Williams. He, like all the other greats, clearly has that 'it' factor. That extra gear that comes into play when the stakes are highest. Everything else will come with time, but what he has can't be taught, and only a handful of players have it.