Williams reacts to loss to Packers, offensive building confidence |
CHICAGO - This past Sunday marked rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ first game against a division opponent. He was so close to winning his first division game and recording his first game-winning drive of his NFL career.
After Williams led a 42-yard drive down the field to set up a 46-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos for the win, his field goal was blocked and hit the crossbar, resulting in Chicago's loss of 20-19 to the Green Bay Packers. For Williams, it is more about that final play than the drive before, when the Bears punted the ball back to Green Bay, allowing them to take the lead. “Situation to learn from. If we want to really go back, the drive before, (we) ended up punting and if we score right there, put three points on the board or anything like that, it makes the game a lot different,” Williams said. “That’s even before the two-minute drive when we had the ball with five minutes left and so, on that drive, can do better, make a few more routine plays, be better in those ways. But, (it) starts there and then when we get those shots at the end, that’s all you can ask for.” There are positives Williams and the offense can take away from this win despite its heartbreaking ending. The offense was clearly different with Thomas Brown as the offensive coordinator, as the Bears got into the end zone twice after not scoring a touchdown in the previous two games. Part of what Williams attributed to the difference in the offense is how fast Brown got the play calls in. Although that may seem like a little thing, Williams believes a little thing like that leads to big plays. “There (were) a few instances where (Thomas) is right on the mic and sometimes a little tougher to hear right in that moment because it’s normally a positive play. So, he’ll just keep repeating it and then we’ll have about 30 seconds on the clock and get in the huddle (with) 30 or 25 (seconds) and then you break the huddle around 20 seconds and you get up there. Now, you can use all your different cadences like we were doing today and so, mixing it up so the d-line can’t get a jump on the snap,” Williams said. “All little things tend to be large and in big moments and every moment in a football game is pretty big because that one play, that one drive, you never know how many you’re going to get in a game, especially versus a team like that and already in the NFL, drives and possessions are very limited. So, those small things always tend to be large.” Williams’ rookie season has been a tumultuous one with an offensive explosion in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a loss on a hail mary, the offensive coordinator getting fired in Shane Waldron, and now a loss on a blocked field goal that also doinked. It has been a bizarre season, but Williams is choosing to focus on how the offense put together three scoring drives in a row between the end of the second quarter and throughout the third quarter. “Being able to stream together a few drives is always good, always a good feeling as an offense,” Williams said. “You work super hard throughout the week, and then not being able to go down and score is frustrating and tough … But, being able to do it today, I think it builds confidence for us.”
