For almost the entire first half at Lambeau Field, the Chicago Bears’ offense looked completely out of sync. They couldn’t move the ball, couldn’t protect the quarterback, and could barely breathe with Micah Parsons blowing up everything in front of him. By halftime, Chicago had fewer than 100 total yards and only a field goal to show for it.
But one moment flipped the whole energy of the night – a single throw that woke up the Bears and even fired up the man calling the game: Tom Brady.
When Caleb Williams rolled out and delivered a side-arm dart to Olamide Zaccheaus, squeezing the ball just past Keisean Nixon’s outstretched arm, Brady exploded on the broadcast.
I like the idea of getting Caleb outside the pocket… drops it down, barely through Nixon’s arms… and finds Zaccheaus. What a catch! What a great camera angle – side-arm delivery, through Nixon’s arms and right to Zaccheaus
The pylon cam showed exactly what he meant – a throw that only a handful of quarterbacks in the league can even attempt.
It was the type of pinpoint play Chicago desperately needed after a nearly lifeless first half. And it completely shifted the momentum of the game. But as quickly as the spark arrived… it faded.
The moment that broke Chicago’s heart
Even with the early struggles, the Bears had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Down 28-21, with only seconds left, Chicago faced a 4th-and-1 inside the Packers’ 20-yard line. This was it – the season-defining play.
The Bears called a rollout designed to give Caleb Williams a read: run it if the edge opened up, or hit the flat route if the defense overpursued. But he hesitated.
They were trying to hit someone in the flat – Swift had the first option, but Green Bay took that away. So he’s forced to go to Kmet. He had him early. He just held the ball too long, and that gave Nixon, who’s got real speed, the chance to jump it
And that’s exactly what happened – Williams waited a beat too long, and Nixon undercut the throw for the game-ending interception.
Brady didn’t blame the play call itself. “I liked the call, letting Caleb get on the move and use his legs,” he said. “In the end, Green Bay just made the winning play.”
Two truths about Caleb Williams and Brady said them out loud
For the Bears, the loss dropped them to 9-4, pushing them out of first place in the NFC North and into the final NFC wild card spot. But the bigger story wasn’t the standings – it was what Brady said about Caleb Williams.
Because everything Chicago fans have been feeling all season showed up in one night:
- Caleb can throw passes very few quarterbacks in the world can make.
- He can also hesitate in big moments and cost his team a game.
Both things are real. Both things matter. And both things are part of being a rookie with superstar potential. Brady didn’t sugarcoat it. He saw the brilliance and the mistakes – and still came away with one clear takeaway: The Bears found their franchise quarterback.
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