Bears vs. Packers Game Balls: Caleb Williams Outshines Jordan Love In Loss

Who shined most in the loss to the Packers?

Well, we almost had them.

I have a daughter who just started Kindergarten this year. She wasn’t even two months old the last time the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers. It’s been a long time. It should have happened yesterday. But, Eberflus.

Look, I don’t want to spent too much time reiterating what so many of our talented writers here at WCG have already said. But Matt Eberflus simply cannot be allowed to continue coaching this team. Even when we see improvement, like we did from the offense yesterday, he finds a way to ensure the team takes an L.

Jim Harbaugh, the home run hire that should have been an obvious decision for Ryan Poles last offseason, showed Eberflus how it’s done on Sunday Night Football. With the ball in almost the exact same position as the Bears earlier in the day, with almost the exact same amount of time on the clock, with the same amount of timeouts (one), Harbaugh had the Chargers run the ball one more time. And it resulted in a touchdown to clinch the victory.

Harbaugh had even less reason than Eberflus to make such a call. The Bears were down by one point, so they had to make the field goal or they’d lose. One would think you’d try to make that kick as easy as possible.

The Chargers and Bengals were tied, so even if Los Angeles had missed the field goal, they’d still (probably) have another shot. But it took Harbaugh a nanosecond to realize that with time on the clock, a timeout, and the ability to put the game away, you take that chance to either score or make the kick just a little bit easier.

Alas, here we are. 11 straight losses to the Packers by your Chicago Bears. Unfathomable. Even so, there were some positives on Sunday. So let’s get to them…

Offense Game Ball: QB Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams was robbed of a signature win against the Green Bay Packers.

The rookie was absolutely brilliant on the final drive, getting his team in field goal range for a chance to end six years of mediocrity against the team’s biggest rival. On that final drive, Williams completed a 16 yard pass to WR Rome Odunze on 3rd and 19, then followed that up with a 21 yard completion to Odunze on 4th and 3. It was a glimpse of what the future will look like for this franchise. Then, he completed a strike to WR Keenan Allen for 12 yards on 1st and 10. I haven’t seen three consecutive plays from a Bears QB that were that impressive in many, many years. Especially given the circumstances of the game at the time.

But let’s rewind to 9:22 left in the fourth quarter. Williams barely missed Odunze on what would have been an 88 yard touchdown reception that would have probably iced the game. Odunze clearly had pass interference committed against him by Packers CB Keisean Nixon (which, of course, went uncalled), slowing Odunze down just enough to ruin the play. That would have been huge.

All said, Williams showed a lot of progress in his first game with Thomas Brown calling the offensive plays for the Bears. He got the ball out quickly, increased his completion percentage, and looked like the dynamic player that the Bears drafted. While he didn’t get the win this time out, I don’t think there’s any question that Williams will get some W’s down the line against Green Bay. Apologizes to Jordan Love, but Williams was clearly the best quarterback on the field on Sunday.

Williams finished as the fourth highest graded QB in the league on Sunday by Pro Football Focus (85.2 grade). For the record, Love scored a 73.7.

Defense Game Ball: CB Terell Smith

Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson has struggled mightily since the Hail Mary play in Washington, not looking quite the same. But anytime that CB Terell Smith has seen the field, he’s elevated his game. I’d like to see more.

Smith’s most impactful play on Sunday was his goal line interception of Packers QB Jordan Love. The Packers had a chance to go up 14-3 halfway through the second quarter, but as he has often done this year, Love threw the ball to the defense.

Smith finished the game with a 77.7 grade from PFF, second highest on the Bears’ defense. He played 19 snaps on defense (41%) and 10 snaps on special teams (56%).

Who would have received your game balls? Let us know in the comments section below.