If Bears fans were looking for encouragement entering the playoffs, Week 18 didn't provide it.
Chicago started slow (as it typically does) and although the Bears eventually clawed back into their rematch with the NFC North rival Detroit Lions, they fell on a last-second field goal, 19-16.
The result isn't what matters here. It's the fashion in which the Bears arrived at such a conclusion and how it can inform Chicago on what not to do on Wild Card Weekend.
"I think we just came out flat. We don't have time for that anymore." quarterback Caleb Williams said Tuesday, via the team transcript. "We'll make sure we don't and that starts with me. That starts with me and we will make sure that that doesn't happen. ... That's the mindset. Go out there, start fast and we'll make sure of it."
The Bears built their turnaround season on two consistent themes: takeaways and late-game takeovers. Of Chicago's 11 wins, six came in which they were trailing in the final two minutes.
Williams has been the star behind these comeback efforts, proving he certainly possesses the clutch gene by leading the Bears to victories over Cincinnati, Washington, Las Vegas, Minnesota and New York with late-game heroics. Plus, everyone remembers their legendary comeback effort against Green Bay, a thrilling and largely miraculous win secured by some special teams, good fortune and a few heart-stopping plays made by Williams.
This sample size should make Bears fans feel good about their chances in the high-stakes, high-pressure world that is postseason football. After Bears head coach Ben Johnson praised Williams for being "built for these moments," Williams agreed ahead of their third meeting with the Packers on Saturday.
"I think I am built for these moments mentality wise how I've worked," Williams said. "I've been in a bunch of big games before and a bunch of big rival games. In those moments and in these moments, I think I can provide a spark for the team. I think I can do whatever my team needs me to do. Whether that's stay in the pocket, whether that's run, whether that's scramble, whether that's hand the ball off 30 times and be energetic about it. Whatever it takes is where I'm at and where I'm going to be at for these next couple weeks hopefully."
Williams made his name by playing hero from his very first collegiate appearance, replacing Spencer Rattler in the Oklahoma Sooners' Red River Rivalry game against Texas and sparking a comeback effort that saw the Sooners overcome an 18-point deficit to defeat the Longhorns. He's done it plenty since then, both at his next and final collegiate stop of USC and with the Bears.
But Chicago knows it cannot author more memorable moments without ensuring the Bears stay in the fight prior to the closing stages.
"We certainly don't want to have to lean into that each and every week," Johnson said. "We'd like to start off a little bit faster and make it more of a complete game for 60 minutes."
The Bears will receive their chance to do so Saturday in the friendly confines of Soldier Field, a venue that harbors nothing but hatred for the visiting Packers. Williams can expect high energy, bright lights and a chance to once again play hero.
"It's another game," he said of the Wild Card Weekend showdown. "Then from there you go out there and make plays for your team. You understand that you don't have another game. But in my mindset, I go into it, it's another game and go out there and go win a game."
