On Sunday night (January 18), Caleb Williams embodied the spirit of Aaron Rodgers. The Chicago Bears quarterback threw a jaw-dropping late touchdown to force overtime in the NFC Divisional round game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Statistically, Williams' game peaks when the game is on the line. On this occasion, the Bears trailed by seven with fewer than a minute left on the clock. Williams snapped the ball on fourth and four but had to backpedal a few yards to evade the Rams' pass rush.
After shaking off the defenders, Williams threw a Hail Mary pass into the Rams' end zone. The ball landed right into the clutches of tight end Cole Kmet for a touchdown.
Williams took the field against the Rams, bringing with him a track record of seven game-winning drives. So, the Rams wisely pressured Williams even when he was so far behind his own half.
It mattered little, though. Williams' insane pass to Kmet saved the Bears from crashing out of the playoffs after all the hard work they had done to get there. NBC/Peacock announcer Mike Tirico had the perfect reaction to Williams' play.
Longtime Bears announcer Kevin Harlan was on the call at Westwood One Radio. His statement perfectly summed up the play. 'If you hadn't seen it, you would not believe it!' an excited Kevin Harlan shouted.
NFL Network's sideline reporter, Stacey Dales, had the best view in the house. She was stationed right behind the Rams' endzone when Loveland caught the touchdown pass.
According to NFL research and the Next Gen Stats, Williams was 26.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage when he released the ball, the most depth by any QB on a TD pass.
Ben Johnson opted for the safer option after the touchdown. Instead of going for the win with two points, Johnson sent the field goal unit. They came through and evened the score, sending the game into overtime.
However, the Williams magic evaporated when the Bears needed him the most. LA went first, and their turn ended with a punt. On the following drive, Williams was picked off by the Rams DB Kamren Curl. Curl plucked the ball out of the air before the pass reached its intended target, DJ Moore.
That was Williams' third turnover of the night. He was picked off twice by Cobie Durant. He snagged the first of the two during the game's very first drive. The next one came five minutes before the end of the third quarter.
Williams finished his first-ever NFC Divisional Round fixture with 23 completions on 42 pass attempts (54%) for 257 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He further added 40 yards on 5 carries with the ball.
After regaining possession, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford led the team down 54 yards to set up the game-winning field goal for Harrison Mevis. The first year Rams kicker smashed the FG from 42 yards to seal a 20-17 overtime victory.
Stafford completed 20 passes from 42 attempts (47%) for 258 yards, threw zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Rams running back Kyren Williams scored two TDs on 21 carries.
With the win, the Rams and Stafford qualified for their second NFC Championship game since winning the Super Bowl in 2021. They will play against the Seahawks in Seattle.
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