QB Caleb Williams throws three second-half TDs but Bears squander final drive

Caleb Williams had already thrown three second-half touchdowns against the best team in the NFC when he was given one more challenge — the ball at his own 1-yard line with 3:31 to play and the Bears trailing the Lions by a field goal.

That’s the way the score would stay, as Williams was hampered by miscues by his own team and the Bears lost 23-20 to the Lions in front 64,275 fans at Ford Field.

Williams threw three second-half touchdowns and went 20-for-39 for 256 yards and a 97.8 passer rating on the day.

The Bears eventually got within field goal range on the fianl drive before penalties pushed them back toward midfield.

On fourth and 14 at the Bears’ 46 with 56 seconds to play, Williams was flushed right with no receivers on the right side of the field. He heaved a pass to DJ Moore anyway, and former Bears cornerback Kindle Vildor was flagged for pass interference despite making minimal contact with Moore.

That came one play after the Bears had converted fourth-and-4 on a crossing route to Moore, only for tight end Cole Kmet to be flagged for setting a pick on Moore’s defender, freeing him open.

Two plays after the pass interference call on Vildor, guard Teven Jenkins was called for illegal hands to the face on a 13-yard pass to Keenan Allen that would have given the Bears the ball at the 12. Instead the Bears had the ball at 35. Za’Darius Smith sacked Williams on the next play when he ran unblocked toward the quarterback.

Eberflus, not wanting to use a timeout, then had the Bears run a play on third-and-26, hoping to get back within field goal range. Williams threw deep toward Rome Odunze, and the clock hit zero before the ball fell incomplete.

The Bears were embarrassed in the first half and trailed 16-0 at halftime. They had two first downs in the first half, the first time that’s happened since Justin Fields’ ill-fated first career start in Cleveland in 2021. The Bears were 0-for-5 on third downs and ran 19 plays for an average of 2.8 yards per play.

The Lions had 125 more rushing yards and 111 more passing yards in the first half.

Williams went 5-for-15 for 34 yards in the first half but was better in the second half. On his first drive, Williams scrambled right toward the sideline and tried to stop to cut up the field. He was hit in the left knee by linebacker Jack Campbell and was in obvious pain.

Later Williams dad Carl retweeted a post on X that called the hit on his son’s knee dirty.

After laying on the sideline following the 9-yard gain, he was helped up by teammates and rejoined the huddle. On the next play he found receiver Keenan Allen in the seam, who caught the pass at the 8, spun an fell into the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown.

Williams’ left knee was uncomfortable enough after he sat down on the Bears’ bench that he eventually was sent to the injury tent on the sideline. He emerged from it quickly and was on the field for the team’s next drive.

The Bears marched 70 yards on the next drive for another touchdown — again to Allen, this time for nine yards. Down 10 with 13:40 to play, the Bears went for two. Williams lofted a pass incomplete toward a covered Cole Kmet. Williams threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Moore with 5:42 to play.