Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears won yet another game that checked many of the boxes they have all season.
From not losing the turnover battle to being the more heavily penalized team and needing something from either side of the ball late in the fourth quarter, Sunday’s Week 12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers had it all.
That includes the typical reaction from the Bears.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Sets Record Straight After Win Over Steelers
Caleb Williams Sends Clear Message After Bears Win
Despite the victory, which gave the Bears their most wins since the 2020 season, the locker room seemed more subdued than in past – but still similar – instances. It was as if the Bears had grown accustomed to having contests.
Williams, though, said that was not the case.
He explained why, saying there were all of the typical elements of their seven previous wins this season.
Williams said that the media just happened to miss the more energetic scene.
“No, no, no. You don’t ever get used to winning. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. And so, you don’t get used to it. I think y’all just kind of came in a little late. Everybody was dancing and having fun, going around shaking hands, celebrating and congratulating each other, and showing appreciation to each other. Because it takes all of us, and that’s something that we said in the locker room. It takes a village,” Williams told Clocker Sports postgame.
“We had guys step up, and step up big, for us today. And you can’t – like I said, you never get tired of those, and you can’t get tired of these type of wins.”
Williams was not at his best efficiency-wise, completing 54.3% of his passes. However, he threw for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. It was his fourth straight game below 60% completion, and the seventh time in the past eight.
He has yet to hit the 70% that Bears head coach Ben Johnson set as a benchmark this spring.
Yet and still, Williams entered Sunday tied for the league lead in fourth-quarter comeback wins this season. He did not need that in Week 12, instead relying on the defense to salt it away.
Caleb Williams Not Apologizing for Any Win
Williams took responsibility for the sack-fumble in the end zone by Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt that resulted in a TD for Pittsburgh. He said that he should have gotten rid of the ball in that situation.
Williams made an even bigger point about the game, though he admitted his frustration.
“You don’t apologize for any wins in this league. And I think that’s a historic organization over there. And they got a bunch of great athletes, bunch of great coaches, and things like that. So, like I said, you don’t apologize. But you do understand where you can be as a team, what we could have done out there. And that’s the frustrating part. And it starts with me, and it funnels down everybody else,” Williams told reporters, citing what he considers uncharacteristic misses.
“Trying to stay positive for the guys. Just knowing what type of game it’s going to be. They were running the ball well, and things like that. And so, they were using a lot of clocks. We weren’t going to have many possessions. And so, trying to be positive for those guys and not get too frustrated in those situations.”
Williams said, “It’s nice” learning from wins rather than losses, but that they “also understand that we have so much left in the tank, and we can be so much better.”
Johnson noted that the offense was not clicking as it did earlier in the year.
That is particularly true of the Bears’ passing game, which has almost become feast or famine in terms of its overall effectiveness from series to series. The Bears will need to be much sharper on both sides of the ball on Black Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13.