Ben Johnson has completely turned around the Chicago Bears in his first season as head coach, already doubling the team’s win total from last year with three games left to play. Chicago has a playoff berth within reach, and could enter the postseason as high as the No. 2 seed if it beats Green Bay (suddenly without Micah Parsons) at home in Week 16.
The Bears have been winning at the buzzer all season, but they finally got the blowout win they needed on Sunday against the lowly Cleveland Browns. Chicago’s 31-3 win showcased everything that has made the team so good this year: the defense grabbed three interceptions, the running game was efficient and effective, and Caleb Williams made some big plays through the air. Williams passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns in the win, and his second TD throw to seal the win will go down as one of his best plays of the year.
On first-and-10 from the Cleveland 22-yard-line, Williams rolled right, evaded pressure, and threw a laser into the end zone before he could be brought down. What initially looked like a throwaway on the broadcast somehow ended up in the hands of Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore. The ball seemed to sail right through two Browns defenders. Williams and Moore might have been the only two people in the building who thought they could complete the pass.
This angle from local Fox photograph Jeff Wierus provides an alternate angle of the touchdown that makes Williams’ throw look even more unbelievable. Watch the play here:
How did that one make it through? Cleveland seemed to have Williams dead-to-rights, but the QB has a special ability to make something out of nothing and extend plays until he has an open receiver. Williams’ arm strength might be the strongest in the league this side of Josh Allen, and he rifled this one to Moore between multiple defenders.
Here are two more cool looks at the play, via the broadcast angle and the NFL Films edit:
Williams was asked about the TD throw after the game, and he gave a perfect answer.
Listen here:
The Bears have always won with defense and a running game, and that is indeed happening again with Chicago transforming into the league’s takeaway leader even with a shaky pass rush. What gives this the potential to be the start of a new golden age for Chicago is the upside of the passing game. Williams isn’t great yet, but he’s excellent at avoiding interceptions, he’s significantly cut down the number of sacks he takes, and he’s able to create incredible plays out of thin air in his best moments.
Williams has some really good young receivers with Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Rome Odunze on the outside. He has a trusted veteran in D.J. Moore to keep the sticks moving, too. The Bears’ passing game isn’t all the way there, but Johnson is a masterful play designer who continues to build a connection with his young QB. This play is as good as it gets for Williams in year two, but the Bears really believe this is just the start of something even more explosive in the near future.
