For most of the first half at Lambeau Field, the Chicago Bears’ offense didn’t look like it even belonged on the same field as the Packers.
At halftime, the Bears had fewer than 100 yards, just one field goal, and a whole lot of Micah Parsons blowing up everything in sight.
But the second half opened with a spark, a throw, that changed everything. And no one reacted more explosively than the man calling the game: Tom Brady.
“I like the idea of getting Caleb outside of the pocket… drops it down, barely through the arms of Nixon in coverage… and finds Zaccheaus. What a catch! What a great camera angle, side-arm delivery, through Nixon’s arms and then finds Zaccheaus … from the pylon cam, what a drive, KB!”
The alternate “pylon cam” angle Brady was talking about showed Caleb Williams’ sidearm throwing getting just outside Parsons then the ball slipping past Keisean Nixon’s arm by inches, the kind of throw only a handful of quarterbacks can even attempt, let alone complete.
It was the type of precision throw the Bears desperately needed after putting up just three points in the first game. And it changed the game instantly.
Chicago was hoping the spark would last. Unfortunately, the night would come down to a very different type of throw…
Not All Sunshine and Rainbows
GettyBears QB Caleb Williams
Cuz while Brady celebrated Williams’ highlight-reel moment, he also gave an unfiltered breakdown of the play that lost the Bears the game in the final seconds of their 28-21 loss.
Facing 4th and 1 at the Packers’ 14 with 22 seconds remaining, the Bears dialed up a perimeter rollout, a play designed to give Caleb Williams a run-pass option and stress the Packers’ leverage.
Brady explained exactly what went wrong.
“I think they were trying to get someone in the flat. It was a two-level pattern. Someone in the flat, Swift, which they took away. So, he’s kind of forced to throw to Kmet. He had him early. He just held on to that ball a little long. That gave Nixon, who’s got a lot of speed, a chance to undercut it.”
Brady defended the call itself: “I did like the call, allowing Caleb to get onto the perimeter and use his legs… In the end, Green Bay just made the game winning play.” But Caleb Williams has to throw the ball better.
With the loss, the Chicago Bears dropped to 9-4, falling out of first place in the NFC North and sliding all the way down to the conference’s final wild card spot. The stakes only grow from here.
Brady Said It Out Loud, and He Was Right
GettyBears QB Caleb Williams
Brady validated what Chicago Bears fans have been feeling all season long: Caleb Williams can make throws that only the greats see. He can also make mistakes that remind everyone he’s still developing.
Both things can be true, and both were on full display in Green Bay.
The GOAT saw the superstar flashes. He saw the costly hesitation. And he said, on national television, what Chicago has been wrestling with for months…
The Bears have their guy.
Tom Brady Just Said What Everyone Was Thinking About Caleb Williams