Caleb Williams Explains How His “Frustration” Helped the Bears Upset the Packers 31-27

Caleb Williams dropped back, pump-faked, and fired a strike down the sideline to DJ Moore. The 25-yard touchdown with 1:43 left in the Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers capped another improbable comeback for the Chicago Bears and sent Soldier Field into chaos on Saturday.

Williams’ clutch throw powered the Bears past the Packers 31-27 in the thriller. Chicago’s first playoff win in 15 years extended a breakout season built on belief, resilience, and late-game nerve.

Bears (12-6), the NFC North champions, rallied from an 18-point deficit, outscoring Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth quarter. Chicago trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 entering the final period. It was their seventh fourth-quarter comeback in Ben Johnson’s first year as head coach.

“True belief,” Williams said after the game. “That’s all you need. Belief in the coaches to call the right play at the right time. Belief in the guys on the field to make the right play.”

That belief, Williams explained, was sharpened by emotion as the game slipped away early. “Whatever it takes,” he said. “The frustration, play with the frustration, play with the anger — all of that — and use that for our advantage.”

It’s never over until the clock hits zero.

Just ask Caleb Williams. @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/O3VPxOVcdq

— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2026

Despite a rocky start, Williams delivered in his playoff debut, throwing for 361 yards and two late touchdowns while completing 24 of 48 passes with two interceptions. The Bears took their first lead since early on in the opening quarter when Williams connected with Moore on the game-clinching scoring play.

Green Bay nearly answered. Jordan Love drove the Packers into Chicago territory, but a third-down mishap at the Bears’ 28 ended the threat. Love dropped the snap, scrambled, and launched a desperation throw into the end zone as time expired. Jaquan Brisker deflected the pass, igniting a wild celebration. And a brief, tense handshake between Johnson and Packers coach Matt LaFleur.

“We just keep plugging along,” Johnson said. “We keep fighting. That’s who we are.”

Chicago’s comeback had begun early in the fourth quarter when D’Andre Swift’s 5-yard touchdown run cut the deficit to 21-16. The Packers responded when rookie Matthew Golden broke multiple tackles and leapfrogged a defender for a 23-yard touchdown. But Brandon McManus missed the extra point, leaving the door open.

Williams capitalized. He led a 76-yard drive, hitting Olamide Zaccheaus for an 8-yard score and rookie tight end Colston Loveland for the two-point conversion to make it 27-24. After McManus missed a 44-yard field goal wide right on Green Bay’s next possession, Williams delivered the final blow. Loveland finished with eight catches for a career-high 137 yards, while Moore once again proved to be Williams’ most trusted target.

“We’re here, and I plan to be here for a while,” Williams said. “These moments — that’s the mindset now and for the future.”

The Bears will host a divisional-round game next weekend.