LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — Bears quarterback Caleb Williams likes to note that he thrives in the clutch. Those comments have proved to be more than just words.
Williams showcased that once again Saturday night, leading the Bears to a 31-27 comeback win over the rival Packers in a wild-card round game at Soldier Field. He threw two touchdown passes in the Bears' 25-point fourth quarter as part of a 361-yard passing performance for the game.
It was the greatest test of Williams’ young career, and he passed it with a winning performance.
"I feel that I’m the best in those moments because of what I have prepared to be in those moments,” Williams said Wednesday.
The spotlight on Williams will only shine brighter from here. The Bears will host the Rams in the divisional round Sunday at Soldier Field. That pits Williams against MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford, a player he has long admired.
The Bears are focused on their own improvement this week – namely their goal of playing a more complete game offensively. The Bears fell behind 21-3 to the Packers before rallying back for victory Saturday. In facing the Rams’ top-ranked offense, there will be little margin for error.
"We don’t want to put ourselves in a hole against a team like this like we’ve done a number of times this year,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. “We talk about playing a complete game on offense – this is the week that needs to happen for us to beat this team."
If the Bears do fall behind once again, they have a battle-tested quarterback in Williams ready to lead them back. The Bears' rally over the Packers marked their seventh comeback win in the fourth quarter this season – and it wasn't even Chicago's most improbable comeback over this particular opponent.
The Bears are unfazed by the pressure of a deficit, and they proved that's still the case in the postseason.
That’s especially true for Williams.
"He rises to the occasion time and time again,” Johnson said. “It’s really impressive to see a young player like this be so clutch.”
The pressure is on Williams to keep leading the Bears forward. More specifically, he needs to guide his unit to a more well-rounded performance.
Amid a breakout season for Williams and the NFC North-winning Bears, he maintains that he holds no personal satisfaction in how the playoff push has changed narratives of his performance.
"That’s never been a worry of mine, proving the doubters wrong or anything like that,” Williams said. “It’s a little extra motivation in that sense, but it’s not for me to prove them wrong. I know who I am.
“Keep that mindset of knowing who I am, keep that mindset of I feel that I’m the best when I’m on the field, keep that mindset of I’m the best when I got the other 10 guys around me that are fighting for me, the best I got, the best coach in the world.
“But when you're in the moment, when you're in it, you just keep trying to go on to get to the next point, the next goal until the goals are kind of ran out.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.