Caleb Williams Finally Slayed The Dragon
The Chicago Bears pulled off an epic comeback last month against the Green Bay Packers to beat them at Soldier Field. Immediately, the excuses started. Green Bay was banged up. Jordan Love left the game early. Chicago got loads of unrealistic bounces to get back into the game. There’s no way that would happen again in the playoffs. That is why the Packers sounded so confident going into it. They were sure they’d take care of business this time. Once again, they didn’t count on Caleb Williams.
Everything unfolded exactly as before. Green Bay jumped out to a 21-3 lead, picking off Williams twice. Love stayed on the field this time. Going into the 4th quarter, their predictions appeared true. Then the madness started again. Chicago hit a field goal to narrow the game to 21-9, forced a three-and-out and then a touchdown on the next series. Jordan Love threw his fourth touchdown to make it 28-16. Williams answered with more of his signature wizardry to make it 27-24.
Then Green Bay missed a field goal.
Williams had the stage set for him again. Again, he delivered the killing blow on a throw to D.J. Moore, pushing it to 31-17. The defense got a stop in the final seconds, ending Green Bay’s season and ushering in a new era of Bears football.
People need to understand what Caleb Williams just did.
It had to happen this way. It needed to be in the playoffs and needed to be against a Packers quarterback playing his best. Love was excellent in that game. He played as well as you could’ve possibly hoped. Williams struggled. There was every reason in the book for him to wilt under the pressure. Remember, Green Bay has owned this rivalry for the past 30 years, spurred by the dominance of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, along with an incredible run of ineptitude at quarterback for the Bears.
So many men stepped up to the plate and struck out. Erik Kramer, Jim Miller, Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Jay Cutler, Mitch Trubisky, Justin Fields and several others. None of them could break through the Packers mystique. Caleb Williams, brash and unflappable, stared the dragon in the eye and didn’t blink. He summoned the magic one more time when he needed it most, and for the first time in years, the Packers faltered. Is this a changing of the guard? Who knows.
One thing is clear. Green Bay’s days of swatting down inferior challengers is over.