Sunday night’s Bucs-Bears game possessed the major ingredients necessary for a Chicago fan freakout. Franchise quarterback Caleb Williams looked lost for much of the action, throwing four interceptions and stalling on three second-half three-and-outs. The team as a whole, meanwhile, surrendered a first-half 17-3 lead, allowing the game-tying touchdown following a fumble in the final stages of the fourth quarter. But the concerns one would have about the Bears’ offense feel relatively minor today, because despite all their errors, a buzzer-beating Cairo Santos field goal and a stout defensive performance allowed Chicago to notch their fourth straight win, 27-24, improving to 7-2 as they fight for first place in the NFL’s toughest division.
The first nine minutes at Soldier Field were a party. The Buccaneers, entering the game as clear underdogs but coming off their two best outings of the season, got steamrolled, allowing a pair of Williams TD passes while mustering just six yards of their own. From that point on, however, everything became a struggle. Williams chucked a pick near the end zone to conclude a drive, then tossed another on his very next chance when he tried and failed to loft the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack. Before halftime arrived, he’d gift a third pass to the defense, making a silly decision to just huck the ball forward under pressure. Watching from afar, it felt like Williams’s early success had put him in a consequence-free mindset on the field, and in his postgame it did very much sound like confidence was the culprit.
“I’m going to throw until I can’t throw anymore,” Williams said. “That’s how I live. I work my tail off to be in this position. I’ll never not throw the ball. I could throw 100 picks in one game. … That’s how I grew up. That’s who I am. I don’t get gun-shy.”