The Chicago Bears fell short against the Los Angeles, 20-17, in an overtime loss in the divisional playoffs, ending what was a magical first season under head coach Ben Johnson. And yet, in true Bears fashion, they had a chance to win it in the end.
After Caleb Williams’ improbable and mind-blowing touchdown throw to Cole Kmet with 18 seconds remaining, Chicago forced overtime and positioned themselves to pull off an eighth comeback this season. With the Bears driving and roughly 15 yards away from a game-winning field goal attempt, Williams was intercepted on second-and-8 at Los Angeles’ 22-yard line. The Rams then proceeded to drive and kick the game-winning field goal to advance to the NFC Championship.
It was a brutal turn of events for a Bears team that had found ways in those situations. But perhaps even more brutal was rewatching the interception, where it appeared wide receiver DJ Moore gave up on his route and allowed Kam Curl to make the easy pick. Following the game, Williams shared his initial thoughts on the interception, where he indicated it was a miscommunication between him and Moore.
“Obviously haven’t seen it and don’t really know, but in the moment, saw the front side safety down, the front side of the concept, ended up getting hemmed up a little bit, so I moved on and had DJ going over the top of all of it,” Williams said. “Just a miscommunication between him and I. Tried to flatten him off under the safety, and he kept it vertical from what I saw, obviously, in the moment.”
It was a devastating end for the Bears, who lost the turnover battle (-3) and the game despite having plenty of opportunities to take control. But, with the game on the line, it was unfortunate to see Chicago’s season end with an interception when they were so close to kicking their way to the NFC Championship.
While Williams didn’t put any blame on Moore, outside of it being a miscommunication between the two, Moore is being criticized over his lack of effort on that play with everything on the line. And, while Moore is under contract through 2029, you have to wonder what his future looks like in Chicago.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears QB Caleb Williams shares instant reaction to final INT vs. Rams
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
