Maxx Crosby's surprising comments on Caleb Williams debunk narrative

Crosby had an interception and forced fumble, and Pro Football Focus gave him five pressures while Stathead/Pro Football Reference called it three pressures.

Crosby does a podcast called "The Rush with Maxx Crosby," and on it he paid Williams right back with a compliment.

"All day we were going back and forth. He's a competitor, bro. I've got to give it to him.  He didn't back down. He kept getting back up and trying to make plays."Maxx Crosby on Caleb Williams

"Hearing that from a really good player is cool," Crosby said about the respect he received from Williams. "Our matchup was, it was, I mean, all day ... all day we were going back and forth.

"All day we were going back and forth. He's a competitor, bro. I've got to give it to him.  He didn't back down. He kept getting back up and trying to make plays. Yeah, he is a competitor, and he is hard to tackle. You know what I mean? He makes plays happen."

It doesn't seem to play into the narrative of Williams being a soft, nail-painting, crying, spoiled player like some tried to claim when he came out of college.

The comeback Williams staged Sunday was much like some of those he did last year, but most of those games ended in losses when the Bears managed to get a field goal blocked, give up an overtime field goal, swallow their last timeout and, of course, infamously give up a Hail Mary touchdown.

Without those 2024 disasters that fell on someone else's shoulders, the narrative about Williams would already be as the competitor Crosby found him to be Sunday.

The rest of the league might already be talking that way, as well.