The Chicago Bears were down 24-19 with five minutes left. Mistakes and missed opportunities had characterized most of their performance offensively against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was a penalty here, a dropped pass there, and ongoing struggles to run the ball. The stakes couldn’t have been higher. A loss would put the Bears at 1-3 and all but sink their season before it was barely a month old. Head coach Ben Johnson had to give quarterback Caleb Williams as much confidence as possible if they were going to pull off a comeback. So before the ensuing drive, the two got together on the sideline and Johnson said something to him.
“I said, ‘This is what you’re built for‘, and these are the moments that he thrives in the most,” Johnson said. “I think that’s really been the story of his life, to be honest with you and I know he came through for us in a big way.”
It sounds every bit like one of those moments you wait for in a movie. That pivotal moment when the quarterback feels inspired and surges onto the field. It sounds corny, but there’s always been truth. The power of belief is incredibly strong in pro sports. Williams embraced Johnson’s words and led the Bears on a 69-yard march to retake the lead on a D’Andre Swift touchdown. As it turns out, one fan caught the moment on camera. Full credit goes to Bijo Kalladanthyil for the excellent photograph.
Ben Johnson trusted Williams to do the job when it mattered.
He had good reasons to do so. Despite how bad things got last season for Chicago, the quarterback quickly earned a reputation for making things happen in the 4th quarter. He had two comebacks to beat the Rams and Packers as a rookie, and would’ve had two more against the Commanders and Packers if not for the Hail Mary and blocked field goal. One comeback is nothing. Four? That is a trend. Ben Johnson knew Williams had that certain mentality to execute in pressure situations. All he had to do was give the quarterback a little nudge. Williams admitted the words helped him focus on the moment. He went to the huddle, told his guys this was it, and started the drive.
Four minutes later, they were in the end zone. The Raiders’ ensuing field goal attempt to win the game was blocked. For the first time, the Bears had won a game they almost always lose. It was all because of Johnson and Williams.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.