What is a franchise quarterback? There are many definitions to it, but the one most accepted as reality is this. He is a quarterback that a team knows it can lean on to pull out a victory when everything else is going poorly. If that still holds true, Caleb Williams just had his first definitive franchise quarterback moment on Sunday at Soldier Field. It was an ugly affair. The 2-7 New York Giants took control by halftime and were up 17-7 with five minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Chicago looked completely out of sorts, largely thanks to the inexplicable play of their receiving corps.
On the afternoon, it looked like the Bears receivers had no fewer than eight dropped passes. It was a comedy of errors that ruined what should've been a stellar statistical performance for Williams. While he wasn't always sharp, several of his best throws were wasted. Still, the Bears had a slim chance down 20-10 with six minutes left. What followed was a 91-yard drive by Williams to score, narrowing the gap to 20-17.
All they needed was a stop on defense.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson, their emergency free agent addition last week, sacked Russell Wilson to force a punt, which was immediately shanked for 26 yards. Williams took care of the rest, accounting for 44 of the 53-yard drive, including a 17-yard scramble for what was the game-winning touchdown.
Caleb Williams answers the bell every single time.
The Bears quarterback now has four 4th quarter comebacks this season. Chicago has played nine games. One time is a fluke. Two times is a trend. Four? That is reality. Caleb Williams has established himself as one of the better crunch-time quarterbacks in the NFL. Almost every time the Bears have been trailing in the 4th quarter and the game was close, Williams drove them down the field to give them a chance to win. This is something we never saw from Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, or almost any other 1st round pick going back decades.
People have loved piling up Williams when things go wrong. Yet they refuse to give him his flowers when he delivers. They will look at his 220 yards passing, 63 rushing, and two touchdowns, and say he played fine. That only proves none of them paid attention. This was a signature moment for Williams, and could gain greater importance if the Bears can use it to feed their success down the stretch.
