Did Caleb Williams See The Danger On Hail Mary Play? New Video Hints Yes
It will go down as the latest in a series of gutwrenching defeats for the Chicago Bears over the past two years. First was the 4th quarter collapse against Denver, where they led 28-7. Then it was coughing up a 12-point lead with four minutes to play in Detroit. Next came the failed Hail Mary in Cleveland that went through Darnell Mooney’s hands. Now Washington got a different result on Sunday, completing a Hail Mary of their own with no time left to win 18-15. The worst part of it all might be that quarterback Caleb Williams saw it coming.
Cameras picked up the Bears quarterback on the sideline as the play unfolded. Right before the snap, Williams was seen waving his hand toward the end zone, indicating somebody needed to get back. Other videos revealed cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was busy jawing at fans away from the play as it was in progress. That is the exact direction Williams was gesturing. Once the pass was completed, it landed in the hands of wide receiver Noah Brown, whom Stevenson was supposed to be covering. The disgusted reaction from Williams said it all.
Caleb Williams noticing paints an ugly picture of Matt Eberflus.
The quarterback was aware that Stevenson was out of position and that the coverage wasn’t set up correctly. Meanwhile, the Bears head coach didn’t. Eberflus had timeouts left. He could’ve easily used one to reset everything and ensure the guys were on the same page. Clearly, he either didn’t notice or didn’t think it was too big of a problem to do anything. Williams’ reaction says otherwise. The Bears quarterback knows a thing or two about Hail Marys. He won a championship in high school with one.
One can understand why Caleb Williams was upset. He’d been under pressure the entire game. Chicago had played poorly for three quarters. Despite everything, the rookie delivered his two best drives in the 4th. One ended at Washington’s 1-yard line on a baffling play call that saw a hand-off to Doug Kramer, which was fumbled. The other resulted in a touchdown to get the lead with 25 seconds left. Williams knew they should’ve won that game.