Caleb Williams has earned himself a bit of a victory lap after silencing his critics for the time being.
The Chicago Bears quarterback helped his team clinch a playoff spot on Saturday via a 22-16 overtime win over their division-rival Green Bay Packers. Williams led the 11-4 Bears to one of the most improbable comebacks in recent memory, thoroughly electrifying the crowd at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill.
There may still be questions about Williams going forward, but the city and its fans have clearly embraced him as the team’s franchise QB.
Williams spoke to reporters on Tuesday and was asked if he felt any individual satisfaction over what he’s accomplished with the team. The USC product didn’t deny feeling a sense of validation, citing all the naysayers who never believed he could reach this point.
“I wasn’t the biggest, I wasn’t the strongest, I wasn’t the tallest, fastest, whatever the case may be,” Williams said. “I get drafted here, told that I’m not a special player, told that I’m not a good fit here, told that Coach and I won’t work, told I can’t win here. So I know that’s going to keep going on, but I do take a little satisfaction, being able to help this team, help this organization, and be a part of it to get to the playoffs.
“My goal isn’t just to get to the playoffs — my goal is to win and win big. I’m going to keep my head down, I’m going to keep growing for the guys in this building, for the coaches, for this organization, and for this city to be able to be proud and happy to be supporters of the Chicago Bears.”
Williams went 19/34 for 250 yards with a pair of touchdowns in the playoff-clinching win. But the numbers didn’t tell the whole story.
Trailing by 10 points with just over two minutes left in the contest, the Bears had zero margin for error the rest of the way. Williams made every critical throw down the stretch to make it happen, completing the comeback with an incredible walk-off TD pass to DJ Moore in overtime.
Bears fans also have Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs to thank for his late blunder that allowed Williams to put his Superman cape on and save the day.
