Caleb Williams Sends Clear Message After Bears’ Vikings Victory
Seems as though Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is embracing his team’s fourth-quarter magic after rallying to their latest win in Minnesota.
For the fifth time this season, the Bears overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to pull off a comeback victory on Sunday, needing a 56-yard kick return from Devin Duvernay and a 48-yard field goal from Cairo Santos in the final minute to knock off the Vikings, 19-17.
The win not only avenged the Bears’ season-opening loss to the Vikings but also marked the fifth time in their last eight games that they have won using a fourth-quarter rally. And while not every comeback has been pretty, their enduring ability to eke out wins has left Williams feeling inspired about what he and the Bears can still accomplish.
“It doesn’t matter when. It doesn’t matter how. It doesn’t matter who,” Williams told reporters during Sunday’s postgame news conference. “We’ve got the guys, we’ve got the coaches, we live in the known. And so when our moment comes, when their moment comes — whoever it is on the team — we’ll make the play.
“We’ve got to get better throughout the game, but when it comes down to it, we know we’re going to make the plays at the right moment, at the right time, and we’re going to go win the game.”
Caleb Williams, Bears Offense Struggled Against Vikings
After Duvernay’s well-timed kick return gave them possession at the Vikings’ 40-yard line, Williams and the Bears offense did enough to set up Santos for the game-winner. But make no mistake: the opportunities to end things sooner were there once again.
Williams dazzled with his Houdini-esque escapability against the Vikings defense on Sunday, but he did not play his cleanest or most accurate game of his second season, completing just 50% (16-of-32) of his passes and throwing zero touchdowns. The Bears also settled for field goal attempts on four different occasions before Santos’ final boot.
Not all of the blame in the passing game falls on Williams. Rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III, who has been largely sure-handed, dropped an easy third-down conversion. Veteran DJ Moore also had a rare drop on a deep pass that slipped through his hands.
For now, the Bears are still finding ways to win despite their offensive stallings, but Williams isn’t letting him or his teammates get complacent about their mistakes.
“When there’s blood in the water, we’ve got to go,” Williams said. “When the defense turns the ball over for us and we get the ball back, we’ve got to put up seven points. When they get three-and-outs, we’ve got to put up seven points. That’s a mindset and belief that we have to grow toward and get better at. That’s something I was preaching on the sideline, and I’m going to keep preaching that because we have so much talent, so much belief, so much of a great coaching staff — all of these things.
“There’s not a time for me that I want to maximize the most than when I am out here with these guys.”
Bears’ Playoff Chances Improved After Vikings Win
Despite a near-collapse against the Vikings, the Bears have moved to 7-3 and into sole possession of first place in the NFC North after the Detroit Lions‘ loss to Philadelphia. Consequently, their chances of making the NFL playoffs have drastically improved.
According to Playoff Status, the Bears have a 72% chance to make the playoffs in 2025 with seven more games — three divisional — left to play on the regular-season schedule. They are most likely to end up as the No. 3 seed (16%), but the No. 7 seed (11%) is also a strong likelihood, based on how they stand up to their remaining division opponents.
The Bears’ road to playoff contention could be long and paved with potholes, though.
Their next three opponents — Pittsburgh (6-4), Philadelphia (8-2) and Green Bay (6-3-1) — are all playoff contenders in their own right, and the Bears have still not defeated a single team with a winning record despite winning seven of their last eight games.
The Bears will also close out the slate with a three-game stretch that includes rematches with the Packers and Lions and a standout with the San Francisco 49ers (7-4
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus Opens Up About Returning to Football After Bears Firing
After drafting Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick out of USC, the Chicago Bears became a hot topic of conversation in the NFL, with many believing the team had finally found a franchise quarterback.
Although the jury is still out on whether Williams will live up to expectations in Chicago, Matt Eberflus didn’t last long as the Bears’ head coach with the promising rookie quarterback under center, as he was fired after losing to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, which was the team’s sixth straight loss. Eberflus’ future in the NFL was uncertain, to say the least, after the firing.
Fortunately for Eberflus, the Dallas Cowboys were willing to bring him in to become the new defensive coordinator, replacing Mike Zimmer as part of the coaching staff overhaul for America’s Team.
Eberflus to Face Bears for First Time Since Firing
In Week 3, Eberflus will take on his former team while leading the Micah Parsons-less Cowboys defense. The Cowboys will travel to Soldier Field, with both teams hoping to make a statement after disappointing starts to the 2025 campaign.
During a Cowboys press conference on Thursday ahead of the matchup with the Bears, Eberflus was asked about returning to Chicago in a coaching capacity for the first time since his firing and facing Williams.
“I really cherished the whole time I was there and the whole coaching experience, and then for Caleb it’s just really working through the process of his second year,” Eberflus said about his former quarterback. “Working through the timing and the rhythm of that offense, and you can see that going forward.”
Neither team has played up to expectations after the first two weeks of the season, with the Bears suffering an embarrassing collapse to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 and then getting crushed by Jared Goff and the Lions in Week 2, giving up 52 points to their division rivals.
As for the Cowboys, Dallas missed an opportunity to pull an upset against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener and then barely came out on top against the New York Giants in a game in which 77 combined points were scored in Week 2.
Cowboys Defense Aims to Bounce Back Against Bears
Giving up 37 points against Russell Wilson and company is not a great look for Eberflus as he gets started with his new squad, but he might be able to bounce back with a vengeance if he can put the clamps on Williams in Week 3 in Chicago. It would be a massive win for Eberflus against his former team while also getting the Cowboys above .500.
All eyes will be on Eberflus and Williams heading into this Week 3 matchup in Chicago, as it will likely be the biggest storyline for these two teams looking to become a force to be reckoned with in the NFC this season.
There’s no better opportunity for the new Cowboys defensive coordinator to make a statement than against his former quarterback and the team that gave up on him following the embarrassing loss to the Lions last year.
