Film Room: Caleb Williams’ Wild Card Round Performance ...Middle East

By now, the pattern is impossible to ignore. When the moment gets big — when the margin disappears and the season teeters — Caleb Williams doesn’t just survive it. He owns it.

Saturday night’s wild-card win over Green Bay wasn’t clean, efficient, or linear. The Bears’ offense sputtered early, fell behind 21–3, and spent most of the first half searching for traction. Williams’ final stat line reflects some of that turbulence: 24-for-48, 361 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions. But it also completely misses the point. Because once the game demanded answers, Williams provided them, over and over again.

After halftime, and especially when the fourth quarter arrived, the quarterback flipped the night on its head. Williams finished the second half 16-of-31 for 283 yards, two touchdowns, and a 91.2 passer rating — and then took it another level in the fourth quarter, when the Bears scored 25 points to complete the comeback. In that stretch alone, he threw for 184 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and posted a 110.0 passer rating. Seven Big Time Throws, per PFF — more than Patrick Mahomes has produced in any single playoff run, let alone one game.

That’s not noise. That’s identity.

And if you’re wondering whether this is becoming a Packers-specific problem, the numbers say it is. In two wins over Green Bay this season, Williams has totaled 359 yards and four touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime alone — without throwing a single interception. After the game, standing in the locker room, Williams summed it up perfectly: “You make your money in the regular season. The playoffs are for your name. For our legacy.”

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the throws that turned another impossible night into another defining chapter.

Film Room: Caleb Williams’ Wild Card Round Performance

Chicago’s offense struggled for much of the first half, but the opening drive was promising and well-designed despite not scoring a touchdown. Johnson and Williams got multiple key players involved on that opening drive, and chewed up a bunch of clock with timely conversions like this 3rd & 12 to DJ Moore.

pic.twitter.com/xK4WZ6rdUi

I felt before the game that going up 7-0 at home against the Packers would go a long way toward keeping the offense ahead of schedule and fluid throughout the game, and I would imagine Johnson felt the same way based on the design of the opening drive. Williams looked in control, and I think the game feels different if they punch it in for six here. After this drive, and the Packers ripping down the field to score a touchdown, it felt like everyone was pressing on offense for much of the next three-plus quarters.

Johnson came into Saturday’s contest believing his offense had to score on every possession to win. And despite the adjustments the defense made in the second half, that will remain a theme in the playoffs. That kind of thinking is what forced Johnson into going for it on fourth down early and often. Because when you have zero faith that your defense, you’re not giving away a single offensive down to a punt. Here is an early fourth-down conversion from their own territory:

An early 4th down conversion for Chicago. Loveland is the security blanket on late downs; everyone knows it, which causes GB's linebackers to miscommunicate, allowing DJM to find space for the conversion. pic.twitter.com/Z9lEQBx4x7

Tight end Colston Loveland is Williams’ late down safety blanket, and everyone knows it. Loveland’s motion and route drew all the attention, causing a miscommunication among Green Bay’s linebackers, allowing DJ Moore to slip into the second level uncovered. Williams identifies it and hits him. It was a great design by Johnson, as well as a great find (and throw) by Williams.

In a game where he delivered big-time throw after big-time throw in crunch time, those throws weren’t really “the best” of Williams. Still, I felt it was essential to use those to explain what I believe Johnson and the offense were thinking early and into the second quarter, which became highly problematic because of the balance between “Can we get a stop on defense?” and conventional logic on offense.

Before we get into those big-time throws, let’s watch the all-22 on that first interception and discuss it:

pic.twitter.com/4Efmq7uXsb

This play felt doomed from the start. There was a lot of motion, and it seemed like Williams and Luther Burden III were never on the same page, and that turned out to be painfully accurate, with LB3 running a different route than Williams had in mind, resulting in what amounted to essentially an arm punt on this fourth-down conversion attempt.

The offense has made significant strides this season, and therefore, Johnson’s calls have evolved, but miscommunications like these are still going to happen from time to time. This game, and the stakes amplified it, but at the end of the day, it’s a back-to-the-whiteboard type of instance for Williams and Burden.

Here’s a really nice throw from Williams to Colston Loveland:

pic.twitter.com/suMJf2ymod

Good concept and route, Williams is working in structure and throws an excellent ball to Loveland for a chunk play.

Up next: Another in-structure dime from Williams from the second half with the team trailing by multiple scores. The sky feeling like it was falling to everyone except Williams, apparently.

pic.twitter.com/ObsbB3K8kM

Onto the fourth quarter with a play that seemed to get lost in the madness.

Williams has no one to throw to, but didn’t force it. Instead, he turned to his legs at an appropriate time to pick up a huge first down by cutting his run back toward the middle of the field and finishing it with a dive.

pic.twitter.com/EXFhRWEtls

Yes, Moore is open at one point. But Williams has to get back to the middle of the field with his eyes to know that. AAnd by the time he does, Quay Walker is crashing down on Moore and draping him.

One more goodie before we get into the two big ones from Saturday, a deep shot to Colston Loveland on the very next play:

pic.twitter.com/w6udkLU5OU

Operating in no-huddle, we’ve got Moore and Loveland on the left side. Moore runs a go route and clears out the sideline for Loveland, and Williams nails his favorite target for the big gain — beautiful design and execution.

Here’s the throw that will live in Bears-Packers lore forever. It’s 4th & 8, and if Williams doesn’t make this play, it’s curtains on their season. When you layer the opponent, the stakes, and the difficulty, this is one of the best throws you will ever see. Point blank, period.

pic.twitter.com/rw0ZM1BG6W

I included the sideline and end zone angles in that clip. We’re talking about a throw running to the non-dominant side, open, now base, no torque, 35 air yards, in the bucket, in between four defenders. Don’t even get me started on the anticipation aspect of the spot of the catch. If you want to talk about completion percentages, you’d better start talking about the completion percentage of every other human in the world on this throw, because if not for it, we’re talking about season reviews and tee times.

Here’s the game-winner:

Caleb Williams to DJ Moore for the go-ahead score. The Bears have come back again and Soldier Field is shaking. pic.twitter.com/h8hTobQeMP

Johnson has Cole Kmet lined up at right tackle and Darnell Wright eligible on the left side, and he causes Green Bay’s defenders to crash on the potential screen, giving DJ Moore an open go route, and the rest is history.

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