Bears quarterback Caleb Williams made a lot of plays in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Packers, but he wound up falling short on the team’s final offensive play.
Williams rolled left on a fourth-and-1 from the Packers’ 14-yard line and tried to hit tight end Cole Kmet in the end zone, but he didn’t get the ball over Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon. Nixon secured it for an interception that sealed the Packers’ 28-21 win and knocked the Bears out of first place in the NFC North.
After the game, Williams said he had multiple receiving options on the play as well as the chance to run for the first down if it was there but identified Kmet as the best choice as things unfolded. He lamented not giving the tight end more of a chance to make a play on the ball.
“Rolled out and saw Cole, I tried to give him a big-boy ball, try and let him go up for it because I ended up seeing [Nixon] start to sprint,” Williams said in his postgame press conference. “I tried to slow them up and kind of give him a chance. In those moments, it’s a got-to-have-it moment. They had a guy trailing me, so I didn’t feel like I could go get it myself. Just got to give Cole a better shot at it. I think next time, just extend him a little bit more and kind of lead him. But, in those moments, you want to put the ball in play and trust your guy or try to have your guy go make a play and just got to give him a better ball.”
Williams threw two touchdown passes in the second half and came up with a pair of big completions on the final drive to get the Bears into scoring position. He was 6-of-14 for 32 yards in the first half, however, and said the team was “shooting ourselves in the foot” while falling behind by 11 points at halftime. Those early struggles helped put them in a do-or-die situation at the end of the game and the Bears can’t afford to miss too many more opportunities if they’re going to finish the season with a playoff berth.
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon sealed Sunday’s win over the Bears with an end-zone interception. After the game, he was asked how gratifying the play was, given the scrutiny he receives for his performance as a defensive back.
“I don’t care,” Nixon told reporters, via Matt Schneidman of TheAthletic.com. “I do this shit for me. Fuck everybody else. Excuse my language, but I am who I say I am and I always tell myself that.”
If he won’t say it, we will. It should be very gratifying. He made the play of the game, sealing the 28-21 win and vaulting the Packers into first place in the NFC North, at 9-3-1.
There’s still a long way to go. The Packers visit the Broncos and the Bears. Then, they host the Ravens. They wrap the season with a game at Minnesota.
Packers linebacker Micah Parsons was held without a sack today against the Bears. And Packers head coach Matt LaFleur thinks “held” is the operative word.
Asked about some arguments he appeared to be having with the officials about the Bears holding Parsons and not getting flagged for it, LaFleur said after the game that he can’t understand why the Bears were getting away with it.
“I don’t know. I don’t know,” LaFleur said. “I thought there was one that certainly was questionable, to say the least, but apparently the officials disagreed, so it is what it is and we’ve just got to continue to fight and try to get to the quarterback.”
LaFleur said he wouldn’t repeat what he said to the officials but made it clear that he had expressed his displeasure to them.
“I’m not going to get into what we were talking about,” LaFleur said. “Officials, I don’t think their jobs are easy by any stretch — I think it’s a difficult job — but I guess I don’t know what holding is anymore because I thought it was a pretty clear and obvious hold. But I guess I don’t know what that means.”
Asked about a different play, LaFleur repeated the same theme.
“I thought he got grabbed, and I thought that was a penalty, but again, I’m not an official,” LaFleur said.
The Packers won, but that doesn’t mean LaFleur was happy with everything he saw on the field today in Green Bay. Particularly from the folks in the striped shirts.
The Bears almost did it again. They reached the Green Bay 14 with 27 seconds left, in need of a touchdown and an extra point to tie or a 2-point conversion to win.
On fourth-and-1, though, Caleb Williams’ pass intended for Cole Kmet was underthrown and Keisean Nixon picked it with 22 seconds left to end the Bears’ comeback try.
The Packers held on for a dramatic 28-21 win. Green Bay takes over the lead in the NFC North with a 9-3-1 record, while Chicago falls to 9-4.
The Bears had five comeback wins in the final two minutes this season and seemed destined for another after dominating the second half. Chicago gained only 71 yards and scored only three points in the first half. They trailed by 11 at halftime.
The Bears outgained the Packers 244 to 130 in the second half, and the game was tied 21-21 with 8:00 left.
Green Bay drove 65 yards in eight plays for the winning points as Josh Jacobs had a 2-yard run with 3:32 left. The Bears went 60 yards in six plays to get them close to the end zone before Williams’ interception.
Jordan Love went 17-of-25 for 234 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Christian Watson caught touchdown passes of 23 and 41 yards, and Bo Melton had a 45-yard touchdown reception. Jacobs rushed for 86 yards on 20 carries.
Williams was 19-of-35 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, with Luther Burden catching four passes for 67 yards. Colston Loveland and Olamide Zaccheaus each had a 1-yard touchdown reception.
The Packers and Bears are tied with 8:00 to go.
Chicago, which trailed 14-3 at halftime, had a 17-play, 83-yard drive that ended with Caleb Williams’ 1-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland on third-and-goal.
The Bears converted five third downs on the game-tying score. The longest play they had was a 10-yard reception by Luther Burden.
The Bears, who had 71 yards in the first half, now have 255 yards and have held the Packers to 68 yards in the second half with 41 coming on the Packers’ only points of the second half.
Williams is 17-of-31 for 135 yards and two touchdowns, hitting eight different receivers. Cole Kmet has two catches for 42 yards to lead the way.
