It was a memorable 2025 season for the Chicago Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams, though it ended in disappointment with a 20-17 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
Caleb Williams Reflects On Loss To The Rams
Williams had moments of brilliance but also committed costly turnovers on Sunday night. In all, Williams was 23-of-42 for 257 yards with two passing touchdowns and three interceptions. After losing to the Rams, Williams expressed dismay over his season coming to an end.
“It’s a frustration and a fire,” Williams said after the loss. “Not happy about the outcome. Frustrated. But that’s over with, and I can’t go back and change it. I’m going to go back and watch and figure out how I can be better in the near future and help this organization get where we want to be.”
Williams expressed his mindset moving forward when speaking with the media on Monday. Williams believes playing against top competition in the playoffs shows the Bears what it takes to improve and ultimately play for a championship.
“You see what you have to do. You figure it out, and when you get knocked down you get back up. That’s what we’re gonna do, that’s my mindset,” Williams said. “We never stay down as a team. I think we’ve shown that this year. We never stay down. We keep fighting, we keep fighting. Bringing that mentality to next year and then finding ways to bring that hunger for all four quarters in every single game is gonna be important and something we’ll focus on throughout the offseason and throughout next year.”
Williams Receives Support From Ben Johnson
While the Bears’ season is now over, it was still a year to remember and included many feats. Chicago won the NFC North with an 11-6 record under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. Williams became the first Bears quarterback since Jim Harbaugh back in 1991 to beat the Green Bay Packers twice in a season, with the second being in the wild card round and eliminating the Packers from postseason contention.
There were even remarkable moments in the loss to the Rams, with no play being more improbable than a 14-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-4 from Williams to tight end Cole Kmet with just 18 seconds left to tie the game at 17-17 and force overtime. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Williams, who backpedaled significantly on the play, threw the ball 26.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Williams would go on to throw an interception in overtime, his third of the night, paving the way for Rams kicker Harrison Mevis to make a 42-yard game-winning field goal. Although the loss stings, Bears head coach Ben Johnson expressed confidence in Williams moving forward.
“There’s some things that you just can’t coach. He’s got that about him,” Johnson said. “He’s got a knack. He’s clutch. He does so many good things. He’s an eraser. I have plenty of bad calls each and every week and he helps make it right for me. I know he’s feeling it because we didn’t win, had some turnovers mixed in there. He’s feeling it, but he’s one of those guys I’m talking about who will remember this feeling and he’s gonna be stronger for it.”
Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, had a strong sophomore NFL season. Williams ranked No. 7 in the league in passing yards (3,942, a franchise record), No. 6 in passing touchdowns (27), with seven interceptions and a 58.1% completion rate. Williams also had 388 rushing yards and three scores. While Williams and the Bears have things to work on, 2025 was still a successful year and there’s optimism moving forward in Chicago.