The Chicago Bears were in a dogfight against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Both teams were banged up. Pittsburgh didn't have Aaron Rodgers. Chicago was missing half their defense. Usually, in those situations, it can lead to some wild outcomes. Sure enough, the game became a back-and-forth affair for most of the afternoon, with multiple lead changes. Caleb Williams was at the heart of it, throwing three touchdown passes despite some early hiccups. Perhaps the most important and memorable of the three came in the third quarter.
Chicago trailed 21-17 with 8:34 left in the 3rd quarter. The ball was at the Steelers' 25-yard line. It was here Williams went to a new tool in his arsenal: a hard count. Linebacker Jack Sawyer bit, jumping early and drawing an offside penalty. That gave Williams a free play, which he fired to D.J. Moore for a touchdown.
If that entire sequence felt familiar, it should've. Rodgers was famous for utilizing the hard count as a weapon, then taking advantage of free plays for touchdowns. It seems rather interesting that Williams, who idolized the former Packers quarterback, waited until this game, when he knew Rodgers was present, to use the tactic.
Caleb Williams found a way to pay homage and troll at the same time.
Chicago prevailed 31-28, just the ninth time this team has scored 21 or more points against a Rodgers team since 2008. The future Hall of Famer reportedly begged the Steelers to let him play, but head coach Mike Tomlin didn't want to put his quarterback at risk of aggravating his broken wrist. Now the Steelers are 6-5 and clinging to their division lead by their fingernails. All Rodgers could do was watch helplessly as the team he "owned" for so many years put his playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.
If that Caleb Williams hard count touchdown is one of the last memories of this long rivalry, it seems incredibly fitting. The Bears got to send their boogeyman out in style. Chicago moves to 8-3 on the season, improving their playoff odds to 64% and one win away from their first winning season in seven years.
