Bear Digest

Packers Star Still Haunted by Caleb Williams' Iconic Iceman Celebration

Caleb Williams has become something of a bogeyman for the Bears' biggest division rivals.
Pete Martuneac|
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Fans of the Chicago Bears know a thing or two about having to deal with a bogeyman in the NFC North. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers dominated the Bears from 2008 until he left the team following the 2022 NFL season, leaving the division with a 24-5 record against Chicago. When he screamed "I own you" to Bears fans at Soldier Field in 2021, he was absolutely right.

However, it appears that the tables may have finally turned. In 2025, Caleb Williams gave Bears fans a vision of a future in which the Bears dominate this historic rivalry. Not only did he deliver a miraculous Wild Card win over the Packers, but he also earned a cool nickname for beating them in a Week 16 thriller: Iceman. His walk-off touchdown pass in overtime to DJ Moore that week earned the first perfect grade of 2025 and cemented Williams' place in this rivalry.

That's the kind of throw Rodgers used to make, ripping the hearts out of Chicago fans everywhere again and again. Now it's Williams who's doing the impossible to crush a fanbase's dreams. The pain from that Week 16 loss extends to the players, too. And they're still not over it, as evidenced by Micah Parsons' conversation with 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett on his Bleacher Report podcast last week.

"We was winning that game," Parsons said, describing the Packers' Week 16 matchup with Chicago. "And then it was lost again." As he spoke, Garrett silently mimicked Caleb Williams' iconic Iceman celebration following his game-winning touchdown pass.

"Don't even start with him," Parsons said, after some laughter. "I can't lie, watching that person, seeing that, seeing him get that [nickname Iceman], it just kind of..."

Professional respect from other superstars speaks volumes about Williams' abilities

Even funnier than Garrett trolling Parsons with Williams' celebration is the fact that Parsons couldn't even bring himself to speak Williams' name, calling him 'that person' instead. Ironically, it echoes the Bears chairman George McCaskey's new nickname for the Packers, Team Voldemort, or He Who Shall Not Be Named.

Both of the superstar pass rushers went on to quietly acknowledge how hard it is to stop Williams. When referencing their Week 14 matchup, which Green Bay won, Garrett told Parsons that he didn't 'get him'. Parsons shook his head and said, "No, I didn't get him. I should have, though."

"Yeah, there's a lot of that," was Garrett's reply. Nothing more needs to be said. Many pass rushers have tried to bring Williams down, and many have failed. The Iceman seems to have eyes all over his head and can get away at the last possible moment and fire off a touchdown pass. Even the game's best pass rushers can't help but give him his due.

As we enter the long NFL offseason, Bears fans can rest confident knowing that they have their franchise quarterback. Earning a cool nickname and having it stamped in place with a sensational win over the Packers clearly has at least some of their players rattled, and it signals a sea change moment in the Bears-Packers rivalry. I'm not going to go so far as to say that Williams will run up a similar score as Aaron Rodgers did, but Bears fans can probably get used to beating Green Bay in the future.

Caleb William
Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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