In the wild card round, it was a layered throw as he rolled out to the left on 4th and 8.
On Sunday it was a fadeaway, 50-yard heave on 4th-and-4 from the 14-yard line.
Only this time, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears couldn’t complete the comeback.
The Bears lost 20-17 in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the final game of the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, sending the Rams to the NFC championship game as Chicago’s Cinderella run has come to an end.
“There are no style points,” Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay said after the game. “It’s about being able to survive and move forward. And we were able to do that in a tough, hostile environment and it was as cold as today.”
Entering the game, the Bears had seven fourth-quarter comebacks between the regular season and the playoffs, and appeared to be on their way to their eighth-place finish after an incredible play by Williams late in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 17-10, Williams led Chicago into the red zone with less than a minute remaining. Then, on fourth down, Williams drifted back from the Los Angeles 14-yard line all the way to the 40 before uncorking a perfect touchdown pass to Cole Kmet in the back of the end zone, tying the game and improbably keeping the Bears’ season alive.
“Ridiculous, that’s ridiculous,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said of the throw, adding that it was “another level above” the throw Williams made against the Green Bay Packers a week ago.
“Some things you just can’t coach.”
In overtime, however, after a defensive stop, Williams led Chicago back into Ram territory but was intercepted by Kam Curl on a deep shot intended for DJ Moore. Williams said the interception was the result of a miscommunication between him and his receiver.
“What a damn piece by Kam Curl,” McVay said.
The Bears would never see the ball again as Matthew Stafford led Los Angeles down the field for a game-winning field goal by Harrison Mevis.
The overtime interception was a fitting end to what would ultimately be a boom-or-bust performance from Williams, the second-year player with a prodigious talent, a knack for dramatic and frustrating inconsistencies.
Williams finished the game 23 of 42 for 257 yards, two touchdowns, the shocking fourth down throw and also three interceptions. Two of his picks came inside Ram territory, depriving Chicago of scoring opportunities.
Besides the miraculous jump to Kmet, Williams also had problems in fourth place. The Bears finished the game just 3 of 6 on fourth down attempts, including a failed run, an interception from the 21-yard line on the first drive of the game, and an incompletion in the end zone on 4th and goal from the two.
Had Williams been able to convert earlier in the match, his late heroics might never have been necessary.
“I know he feels it because we didn’t win and there were some turnovers mixed in,” Johnson said of his quarterback. “He’s one of those guys I’m talking about who will remember this feeling.”
Williams said: “It’s hard. In these moments you feel like you’re letting your team down.”
Chicago’s lack of execution opened the door for a Los Angeles team that was outplayed for most of the night. The Bears beat the Rams, averaged more yards per play, rushed for more yards per carry and also had an advantage in possession. But the failed fourth downs and turnovers ultimately gave Stafford – an MVP candidate – too many opportunities.
On Los Angeles’ game-winning drive, Stafford completed passes of 15, 12 and 16 yards. The 12-yard completion came to Davante Adams with an incredibly tight throw to the sideline, putting the Rams into opposing territory. The 16-year-old came on a blitz on 3rd and 6 to put Los Angeles within field goal range.
The Rams will now travel to play their NFC West rival, the Seattle Seahawks, for the right to go to the Super Bowl. Los Angeles and the Seahawks split their season series, with each team winning at home. The combined margin of victory in both games was just three points.
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