You really can’t give Caleb Williams an opportunity like he had on Saturday night.
He’s getting too good at comebacks.
Williams did it again in the Wild Card Round on Saturday night, throwing two touchdowns in the second half, and the Bears came back to win, 31-27, over the Green Bay Packers. Williams now has seven game-winning drives, most in a single season by a QB under the age of 25 since 1950, per FOX Sports Research. Saturday’s performance was the fourth-largest comeback in Bears’ history, overcoming a 15-point deficit.
The biggest surprise might not have simply been Williams’ second-half performance. It might have been the Bears defense’s dominance in the second half, during which the unit held quarterback Jordan Love and the Packers to just six points.
Here are my takeaways:
1. This throw from Caleb Williams defined the game
Often, in big comeback performances, the biggest play is the go-ahead touchdown.
In this game, it was a 27-yarder on fourth-and-8 with almost six minutes left in the game. The Bears were down 27-16 at that point. And they were near midfield. Had Williams not converted the fourth down, the Packers would’ve had an easy time getting into scoring position.
Williams broke free from the pocket and rolled to his left. He spotted wide receiver Rome Odunze and — falling over — hucked the ball over a pair of Packers defenders who were in solid position. It was the type of play that helped everyone forget the fact that Williams would complete just 50% of his passes.
It was a catalyst play. It lit up the Bears’ sideline. It lit up all of Soldier Field.
It’s also worth noting that it reversed their fourth-down woes — which were significant in this game. (More on that in a second.)
It was a reminder that the Bears still had their magic. And they could – and would – battle themselves back into contention.
2. Let the discussion about Matt LaFleur’s job begin
There was an array of decisions and mistakes that led to the Packers’ defeat.
None makes LaFleur look good.
Matt LaFleur’s second-half decisions will be a hot topic in Wisconsin after losing to the Bears. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
But let’s start with what LaFleur said at halftime. In a conversation with Amazon Prime’s sideline reporter, LaFleur noted that the Bears are a good comeback team and the Packers couldn’t let up. But that’s exactly what they did, losing their edge on offense and failing to respond to the Bears’ physicality in the run game and pressure in the passing game. A handful of short drives gave Chicago some real momentum.
Then there were the missed kicks. Brandon McManus missed two field goal attempts and an extra point, which would have bridged the gap on the scoreboard. Every coach has to take accountability for blown kicks, in part because they need to know their kicker’s range from each part of the field.
Finally, there was the timeout that LaFleur burnt during the team’s final drive on a third-down conversion at midfield. It was simply too early in the drive — an error exacerbated by the injury to center Sean Rhyan, who couldn’t leave the field and required a 10-second run-off. You could — and should — also question the fact that LaFleur used his other two timeouts on earlier drives, and left just one for his final drive.
It all added up to the Bears outscoring the Packers, 28-6 at halftime.
This affirms former Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s decision to hold off taking interviews until this coming week. Because who knows? Maybe the Packers gig opens up.
3. Ben Johnson’s fourth-down struggles might change the way he calls the down
The Bears finished 1-of-4 on fourth down in the first half. Compounding the issue, to conclude the first half, the Bears had a 0-of-5 run on third down. Compounding the issue even further, by the end of the first half, the Packers were 4-of-6 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth down.
That was how the Packers built their initial lead, with Love’s three first-half touchdowns.
As much as fourth-down conversion attempts have become commonplace, Johnson still figured out how to make them controversial when he tried one from his own 32-yard line and failed to convert — and then from the (more reasonable) Packers’ 37-yard line, where he again failed. By the end of the game, Chicago was 2-of-6 on fourth down.
I would like to tell you that Johnson won’t attempt a fourth-down conversion from his own 30-yard line during this postseason. But I don’t know. Johnson is among the most aggressive decision-makers — and he clearly wants his offense (and definitely not his defense) to dictate the outcomes of games. But maybe this game — and the first half — will give him pause.
4. Love deserves some blame for the Packers’ second-half disappearance
The Packers QB committed two penalties for intentional grounding and one penalty for delay of game. That penalty was especially egregious because it immediately followed a timeout. It came on a third down and put the Packers in third-and-15. And because Love couldn’t convert that third down, they had to settle for a field goal attempt, which they missed.
After halftime, Jordan Love could not keep up with Caleb Williams. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The counting stats looked good: 323 passing yards and four touchdowns. But those numbers failed to account for the streaky play. He was 3-of-8 for 24 yards in the third quarter when the Packers opened the door for the Bears to get back in the game.
Love could’ve buried the Bears in that third quarter. Heck, he could’ve buried them in the fourth quarter. But he and LaFleur couldn’t make it happen.
And along came Caleb.
4 ½. What’s next?
The Bears will host their next playoff game in Chicago.
The Bears will face the Philadelphia Eagles if they win on Sunday. If the San Francisco 49ers win on Sunday, then Chicago will take on the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon.
The Rams are my pick to make the Super Bowl, so that’s not a great matchup for the Bears. If Chicago falls into a hole, you can trust head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford not to let the Bears out of it. But the Eagles might be a better matchup for Chicago in what could be a low-scoring game that would — naturally — come down to late-game heroics.
As for the Packers, woof. This one must hurt.
Regardless of whether the Packers move on from LaFleur, they’ll spend the offseason trying to figure out how to smooth out the inconsistencies in their play. Love is making major strides in becoming a better player from down to down and game to game, but there’s room for progress. Maybe the Packers — as a whole — find more consistency under new leadership.
The good news is that defensive star Micah Parsons should return next season. The bad news is that he might not immediately return in full form and the defense looked pretty darn bad without him. So, Green Bay will need to figure out a better plan to cope without him if his recovery hits a setback and/or he simply needs time to reach his peak again.
Clearly, the Packers cannot run it back. But hopefully, they won’t need to make wholesale changes.
Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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