Caleb Williams might have to buy Cairo Santos a fancy dinner after the Chicago Bears escaped the New England Patriots, 30-24, at Soldier Field on Thursday.
Santos kicked a career-long 58-yard field goal with 1:34 left to give the Bears a nine-point cushion, 30-21. It proved to be enough to stave off the Patriots. Before the play, Williams was sacked by Christian Barmore, costing the Bears 10 yards. Fortunately, Santos was ready for the moment.
Williams went 22-of-33 for 308 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He was sacked three times. He had five carries for 18 yards.
He gave credit to the whole team, while also being candid about getting sacked in crunch time.
“That's who we are. I shouldn't have taken that sack in that situation. I know we're gonna have a long sit-down talk about it,” said Williams in the postgame interview.
“Other guys stepped up. Our defense stepped up in the end. They stepped up for our mishaps. We stepped up for the defense when they messed up. Special teams does the same thing for us. That's the type of team we are. That's how we support each other.”
"I shouldn't have taken that sack in that situation."
Caleb Williams talks about the whole team stepping up when they need to#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/p8aFNCQloC
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) October 23, 2026
It was Williams' second game since returning from a hamstring injury. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in back-to-back outings.
Article Continues BelowChicago snapped New England's three-game winning streak and improved to 5-2. The Patriots fell to 4-3.
“These games are awesome because you get to see who you are as a team. That’s who we are. We're a smashmouth football team, an innovative team. When things happen, and things don't go our way, and the water is rocky, we stay steady,” said Williams in a report from the Associated Press' Jay Cohen.
The Bears will have an extended rest before visiting the Seattle Seahawks on November 2.