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Caleb Williams celebrates with fans after scoring on a 17-yard run for the 24-20 win at Soldier Field. David Banks-Imagn Images

Caleb Williams explains how he handled receivers' stone hands

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Gene Chamberlain | Last updated Nov 9, 2025 6:54 PM ET

Good, better, best became terrible, boring and Bears, let's wake up on Sunday. They did wake up, again.

They know at this point they can't keep doing it the way they did against Cincinnati and the way they did Sunday in a 24-20 comeback win over the 2-8 New York Giants.

"I told the guys in the locker room a minute ago, it really feels like I'm on repeat here, these guys are finding a way to fight until the end and win these games," coach Ben Johnson said. "Once again not our prettiest game. We had a number of things go on.

"Drops on offense and we weren't playing consistent or efficient football on that side."

Drops didn't describe it. Olamide Zaccheaus never did seem to locate those things at the end of his arms. Caleb Williams kept throwing them and they kept doinking as the free agent acquisition won the skillet hands award for the week.

He wasn't alone on this freezing cold November day on the lakefront, as both running backs and Rome Odunze had drops. Odunze, though, had a spectacular day otherwise with six catches for 86 yards and a 2-yard touchdown to get the Bears within 20-17.

DJ Moore at least had an excuse, although he didn't join the club. He had a shoulder injury in the game and once again gutted through the injury.

Williams resisted any thoughts to criticize anyone on their drops.

"Some of the issues we had today were just, there may have been a drop here, may have been a drop there in certain moments and those are frustrating moments but it's something that those moments happen," Williams said. "And so you don't waver, you don't lose the confidence. You stay right where you are. You understand that those moments can happen."

He called it a matter of leading the team. It's fair to wonder if he could have said this or thought it even last year before he had Ben Johnson's influence on his leadership ability. He seems to be emerging as a QB the Bears win because of rather than one who manages them to wins.

This Caleb Williams game was the ultimate “eye test” game. Stats don’t paint the full picture of how phenomenal he was today.

Sack evasion, big time throws + runs, playmaking ability. All on display.
— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) November 9, 2025

It continued to happen later even though most of them occurred in the first half when the Bears had one touchdown to show for their work and a 10-7 deficit that became 17-7 and 20-10 in the second half. Williams emerged with 77 passing yards and a 109.2 passer rating in th fourth quarter alone.

"We had a few drops toward the end," Williams said. "You don't put those guys down. You don't go over and curse them out or anything like that.

⚡️Ben Johnson is absolutely ELECTRIC!#GoodBetterBest https://t.co/FcxVZqGkmn

pic.twitter.com/NYUGxFN1C5
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) November 9, 2025

"You encourage them that, 'It's time to make a play and I need you all. I need you right here, right now. It's time to go win the game.' "

Going forward, Johnson said he could shrug off this series of dropped passes.

"If it had been popping up in the course of practice I'd be more concerned but as of right now I think it's an anomaly and something we'll certainly talk about and address, but I don't think that's really who we are," Johnson said.

This route by Luther Burden… SHEESH pic.twitter.com/Oe1cVTWmmV
— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) November 9, 2025

The drops dragged down Williams' numbers and made for a mediocre stat line of 20-for-36, 220 yards with a TD and 83.1 passer rating, but his running proved big as he evaded sacks or took off with the ball.

Williams had a career-high 63 yards rushing on eight carries and scored the 17-yard touchdown to win it on a scramble around left end with 1:47 remaining. He only needed four plays to get them into the end zone for the win after leading a TD drive on the previous possession.

Williams jump-started the winning drive with a 27-yarder to Luther Burden III after a shanked punt set the Bears up in Giants territory at the 47 to start the drive.

Caleb Williams put on his cape & won this game for the #Bears. No other way around it.
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) November 9, 2025

Williams confirmed the idea that another comeback win in a thriller only reinforces the team's belief they can keep doing this.

"I've said it a couple times now that it does build confidence, that it doesn't matter the deficit that we're at, it doesn't matter how much we're up or what happened throughout the game, that we can come through as a team and that's what we did today," Williams said. "But we would like to figure out as a team, putting up points, stopping them, putting up points, stopping them, you know, getting to the point where we're just kind of marching down the field, defense is stopping them, we're putting up a lot of points and winning these games a little bit earlier than we are in these past couple games."

It will look more like good, better, best again if they can do this.