Windy City Gridiron
The Chicago Bears did it again! Another win, this week against the Minnesota Vikings, that took all 60 minutes, but in the end, they came out on top. The Bears are 7-3 on the season, which is the first time they’ve been 7-3 since 2018. This was an important game to win in order to split with a division rival.
There is no question that the Bears have areas they need to improve on, and these wins haven’t always been the cleanest. Regardless, it’s been an exciting season. Let’s hand out this week’s Windy City Honors superlative awards.
Toughest Player
Quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense left a lot of points on the field today, and there is still a lot of growth and improvement that we’d like to see from the sophomore QB, but every week, Williams exhibits mental toughness, perseverance, and the ability to be clutch.
Moreover, Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores blitzed Williams on 78% of his dropbacks. Williams only took two sacks and had no turnovers. He’s been elite at avoiding sacks this season, and this week’s game was no different.
With this week’s comeback win, Williams broke a franchise record. Per Zack Pearson with Bears Report, Williams set the record for most fourth-quarter comebacks by a Chicago QB in a single season. He’s also now tied for the most fourth-quarter comebacks by any QB in their first two seasons in league history in the NFL.
Williams did just enough to win. We know his growth this season won’t be linear. He needs to work on touch passes, taking the checkdown, and setting his feet. Fix those up, and we will be in business.
Most Heartfelt Moment
On Friday, November 15th, John Beam, a football coach and the athletic director at Laney College, died from gunshot wounds after being shot on campus. This news hit Bears’ cornerback Nashon Wright especially hard as Beam was his former coach and mentor.
Wright picked the ball off in the end zone with 35 seconds left in the first half and instantly dropped to his knees to pay tribute to his former coach. That interception was for Coach Beam.
After the game, Wright gets emotional as he describes the role his former coach had in his life. “He meant the world to me…someone I can confide in, someone that I just love dearly.” Wright mentions that Beam was a father figure for him after his father was killed in 2017.
Biggest Areas for Improvement
The Bears have been doing what’s most important: winning (close) games. And still, there are areas that need work:
These are a few which highlight that...
