Caleb Williams has made a slew of amazing throws this season in leading the Bears to the NFC North title and into Sunday's divisional playoff game versus the Rams. But none has drawn as much universal praise as his 27-yard completion to Rome Odunze in last Saturday night's thrilling 31-27 wild card victory over the Packers.
Trailing 27-16 with just over five minutes remaining and the Bears facing fourth-and-8 from their own 43, Williams was flushed out of the pocket to the left, leaped in the air and somehow lofted a perfect pass to Odunze in traffic, sustaining the drive and keeping his team's hopes alive.
“He rises to the occasion time and time again. It’s really impressive to see a young player like this be so clutch.” Ben Johnson on Caleb Williams
After the Bears completed their biggest postseason comeback in franchise history, the iconic play went viral on social media, with fans and media comparing the silhouette of Williams throwing back across his body while in the air to Nike's famous Jumpman logo featuring Michael Jordan.
Former NFL players-turned-analysts marveled at the play on Twitter, with Matt Leinart writing: "Caleb's 4th down throw given the situation may be one of the greatest throws we've ever seen in the NFL," and Booger McFarland tweeting: "When u factor in the difficulty, the moment, the playoffs, may have been the greatest throw I've ever seen."
While that's high praise, Williams has been ultra-clutch all season, rallying the Bears to seven wins after trailing in the final 2:00 of regulation, the most by any team in a season since at least 1970.
"There's not a whole lot you need to say to him on the sideline," said coach Ben Johnson. "We just make sure we're on the same page in terms of what the situation is, what we need to accomplish and how quickly we need to accomplish it. But beyond that, it's not like he needs a pep talk or a rah-rah or anything like that. He's ready to go. I've been saying it all along: he rises to the occasion time and time again. It's really impressive to see a young player like this be so clutch."
This season, the Bears are 3-3 in games that they've trailed by 10 or more points in the last five minutes; the rest of the league is a combined 3-151 in those situations. One main reason is that Williams has been at his best when the game is on the line.
"I feel calm in those moments," he said. "I feel my conditioning is the best in those moments. I feel that I'm the best in those moments because of what I've prepared to be in those moments. For myself, it's just next play, next play, next play, and then when you have to go make a play, it's life or death in those moments."
Williams' 184 yards in the fourth quarter against the Packers were the most by an NFL quarterback in the final period of a postseason game since Tom Brady's 196 yards in the Patriots' 34-28 overtime win over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI—a game that New England trailed 28-3 late in the third quarter.
It's ironic that those two performances are linked because, during training camp, Johnson showed Williams and his teammates tape of that game and had two players who participated in it—guard Joe Thuney (Patriots) and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (Falcons)—discuss it from both perspectives.
Interestingly, Williams had already gained unique insight about Super Bowl LI. While preparing for the 2024 draft, he sat next to Brady and listened as the future Hall of Famer spoke to a group of NFL prospects about how the Patriots overcame adversity—and a 25-point deficit—to win the Super Bowl.
"It could have been the worst game of my career, literally the worst game," Brady told them. "It could have been the most embarrassing loss of my career. Instead, based on our attitude and our competitiveness, it turned into the best game of my career and … the history of the Patriot franchise. All that adversity you're going to face, that's going to build who you guys are."
On Wednesday, the Bears quarterback reflected on Brady's message.
"It's about the next play," Williams said. "It's about the mentality when we're in the moment. It's about honestly not wanting to go out that way and getting your tail whooped. Have a certain mindset, have a certain fight about you, and then it can either be one of your worst moments or one of your greatest moments."
