Former Packers Coach Has One Word for Caleb Williams' Miraculous Comebacks

Even though it didn't end with a Super Bowl title, Chicago Bears fans won't soon forget what a magical ride the 2025 NFL season was for this long-suffering franchise. Aside from watching quarterback Caleb Williams' breakout season, delivering hope to a hopeless fanbase, the 2025 season saw the Bears earn the nickname "Cardiac Bears" for their run of seven fourth-quartercomeback wins, including a triumphant Wild Card victory over the Green Bay Packers.

It sounds like the Bears' rivals won't soon forget that season, either. Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, who served as Green Bay's defensive coordinator for the past two years, was asked about Caleb Williams while speaking with the media at the NFL's 2026 Annual Meeting in Arizona last week, and he gave a surprisingly honest answer about what he saw from the young, second-year quarterback, calling his late-game heroics 'incredible'.

"I just think what Caleb did at the end of the games and his ability to make off-schedule plays was incredible. I mean, that's just me being honest," Hafley told the reporters gathered around his table. "At the end of games, when he had to make off-schedule plays and somehow pull it off, he did. So, he got better throughout the season. I think he's a really good quarterback that's only going to get better."

Hafley knows better than most defensive coaches what Williams is capable of doing in the final minutes of a close game. He had a front row seat to one of the greatest postseason throws in the last 25 years. Trailing the Packers by 11 in the Wild Card game with just over five minutes remaining, Williams faced a fourth-and-eight scenario at midfield and delivered a 28-yard strike to Rome Odunze while rolling to his left and getting hit as he threw.

This throw by Caleb Williams on 4th down is absurd. pic.twitter.com/OWzLDK9D6G
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 11, 2026

Caleb Williams has flipped the historic Bears-Packers rivalry on its head

Prior to the arrival of Caleb Williams in Chicago, the Chicago Bears had lost 10 consecutive games to their ancient rivals, the Green Bay Packers. Since 2024, however, the Bears are 3-2, including their miraculous Wild Card win, taking a 2-1 all-time lead in the postseason series, too. Hafley certainly sounds happy to no longer have to face Williams twice a year, as evidenced by his carefree, honest estimation of Williams' abilities.

Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon replaced Hafley as Green Bay's defensive coordinator, and it will be his job to figure out how to succeed where Hafley often failed: how to play a full 60 minutes against Caleb Williams and stop him in crunch time.

Caleb Williams has flipped the historic Bears-Packers rivalry on its head

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