Bears' Caleb Williams Discusses Not Calling Timeout Before Final Play in Lions Loss
Following the Chicago Bears' 23-20 road loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams explained what happened during a chaotic, late-game sequence that ended his team's hopes of completing a second-half comeback.
Williams was sacked with just over 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, taking the Bears to the edge of field-goal range. Rather than calling their final timeout or running a quick play, they allowed the clock to run all the way down, and the game was over after a deep pass fell incomplete:
According to Chris Emma of 670 The Score, Williams indicated he was not comfortable calling a timeout in that situation and left it up to the coaches, saying: "I'm trying to make a play for the Chicago Bears."
Per ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Williams added: "In that situation, I'm living with the call and letting coaches make that decision. … Maybe in the later years of my career [he may call a timeout himself], right now I get the call and I'm trying to lead my team to a win."
On the final drive of the game, Williams got Chicago down to the Detroit 25-yard line, putting the Bears in ideal position for a game-tying field goal that likely would have forced overtime.
However, an illegal use of hands penalty on offensive lineman Teven Jenkins pushed the ball back to the 35-yard line, and Williams was then sacked for a loss of six on second down.
Since it was third down, the signal-caller had plenty of options coming out of the sack, including calling a timeout or even spiking the ball to set up a lengthy field goal.
Instead, Williams spent an inordinate amount of time at the line with the clock running, and he conceded after the game that he was changing the play.
The lack of urgency came back to haunt the Bears since there was only time for one play by the time they got the ball snapped.
The late-game blunder overshadowed a strong effort by Williams, who threw for 256 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. All three of his touchdowns came in the second half after Chicago trailed 16-0 at halftime.
Williams, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, made big throw after big throw in the second half against a Lions team that moved to a league-best 11-1 on the season with the win, and he was the biggest reason why they were still in it at the end.
While this year's No. 1 pick likely should have took it upon himself to call the timeout when it became clear it wasn't going to be called by anyone else, the blame should perhaps fall more on the shoulders of Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus than anyone else.
The Bears have now lost six games in a row following a 4-2 start, and Eberflus' inability to give his team a chance to complete what would have been a spectacular second-half comeback could end up costing him his job.
