GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Just when Kaleb Williams seemed on the verge of completing another fourth-quarter comeback, his unfortunate pass on Sunday knocked the Chicago Bears from the NFC North lead.
With the Bears trailing 28-21 and facing fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 14-yard line, Williams faked a catch and rolled to his left. Instead of checking or trying to run the first down, Williams threw the ball into the end zone.
advertise
Bears tight end Cole Kmet had gotten behind cornerback Keisean Nixon, but Williams’ pass was underestimated. Nixon’s jump shot with 22 seconds left put the Bears half a game behind the Packers in the division, ending their five-game winning streak.
“In those moments, you know, it’s a must-have moment,” said Williams, who went 19-for-35 for 186 yards and two touchdowns. “They had a guy tracking me, so, I felt like I couldn’t get it on my own (by running the ball). I had to give Cole a better shot. I think next time, just get him a little more and guide him. But in those moments, you want to make the ball work and trust your guys, or try to make your guys make plays, and (I) have to give him a better ball.”
Williams faked a handoff to DeAndre Swift, who appeared to be open just beyond the first down marker.
Chicago coach Ben Johnson said the Bears used a similar play in their last game against Philadelphia, when Williams threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Kmet.
advertise
“So we have options in this game,” Johnson said. “Caleb felt Cole was open and we didn’t hit. That’s how much I was on the sideline. I had to go back and see.”
Williams has made a habit of delivering down the stretch during Chicago’s rise as the Bears try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
He has engineered five fourth-quarter comebacks this season, matching the Denver Nuggets’ Bo Nix for the most of any quarterback. Williams’ one-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland with eight minutes left in the game helped the Bears tie the game after trailing 14-3 at halftime.
After Green Bay regained the lead, Williams threw 27 yards to Luther Burden and 24 yards to Devin Duvernay to put Chicago in scoring position.
advertise
The Bears faced Green Bay on third-and-1 from 14 when Kyle Monangai was stopped by Kingsley Enagbare. That led to a fourth-down drive that ended Chicago’s hopes.
“There were about two or three guys in front of us, either stacked with or with Swift,” Williams said. “I rolled out and saw Cole and I tried to give him a big boy ball and try to get him up there because I eventually saw 25 (Nixon) start sprinting. So, I tried to slow them down and give him a chance.”
Williams led the scoring on Chicago’s first three offensive possessions of the second half, but he went 6-of-14 for 32 yards in the first half.
The Bears will get another chance on Dec. 20 when they host the Packers in Green Bay.
advertise
“I need to get started faster,” Williams said. “We need to get going faster, and I think that’s especially good for us as a team and for the offense. I would say that’s something they did better than we did today, and they made a difference at the end of the day.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
