Caleb Williams didn’t hesitate Tuesday at Halas Hall. Asked about his mindset heading into his first NFL playoff game, he gave a direct six word answer that matched how the Chicago Bears have leaned on him all season.
“I am built for these moments.”
He’s not lying. Williams has engineered six game winning drives this season, the most by any NFL team since the league merger in 1970… They don’t call him “Ice Man” for nothing.
And now, that confidence comes as Chicago prepares for a Saturday night wild card matchup against the Green Bay Packers. The Bears are the NFC’s No. 2 seed, but they enter the postseason having lost two straight and three of their last five, with no margin for error remaining.
The stats back it up
GettyBears QB Caleb Williams
The numbers support the reputation. In the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, the Chicago Bears are 6-1 when Williams has the ball with a chance to tie or win. Against Green Bay in week 16 specifically, Williams delivered one of the defining moments of his career.
Down 16-6 late in the fourth quarter, he led two scoring drives then capped overtime with a 46 yard walk off touchdown to DJ Moore. Williams finished that game with over 300 total yards and zero turnovers.
On the season, Williams has also thrown 27 touchdowns to just seven interceptions this season, a ratio that puts him in elite company for first time playoff quarterbacks. His interception rate drops even further in one score games, a sign that his “arrogant confidence,” as he calls it, hasn’t turned reckless.
Reason to worry
GettyBears QB Caleb Williams
But here’s the number that makes Saturday dangerous for Chicago: The Bears have not scored on their opening drive since Nov. 2.
Caleb Williams’ late game brilliance has masked an offense that routinely starts cold. Fun (well not so fun) fact: Chicago averages fewer than three points in the first quarter over its last eight games. That has forced Williams into comeback mode far more often than necessary, and while he has proven he can erase deficits, the playoffs punish teams that rely on late surges.
There is some reason for optimism. When Williams completes his first three passes of a game, the Bears average nearly 10 more points than when they don’t. In other words: when Williams settles in early, Chicago becomes far harder to contain late.
Williams enters his first NFL playoff game holding the Bears’ single season passing yards record (3,942), the franchise’s best touchdown to interception ratio in decades, and a resume full of late game proof. That alone separates him from most quarterbacks Chicago has sent into January.
The playoffs will demand cleaner starts and fewer escapes, but Chicago isn’t entering the moment searching for belief under center. They already know their quarterback doesn’t shrink when the margin disappears.
Whether the Chicago Bears start fast or not, they enter the playoffs knowing their quarterback won’t shrink when the stakes peak. And it’s cause Caleb Williams is “built for these moments.”
Caleb Williams Has Six Bold Words for Packers Ahead of Wild Card Matchup