Bears proud of season, bullish on future despite playoff exit - ESPN

CHICAGO — Caleb Williams saved just enough late-game magic to spark one last frantic rally before the Chicago Bears' season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs Sunday night.

Williams threw a jaw-dropping touchdown pass on fourth down with 18 seconds remaining to force overtime, but an interception in the extra period proved costly as Chicago's 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams ended its miraculous 2025 run through a season marked by routine come-from-behind victories.

Though the 24-year-old quarterback expressed frustration for the way the season abruptly ended, he left Sunday night with a positive outlook for the future.

«In these moments you feel like you let your team down,» Williams said. «It's a good lesson for us, first time being in this situation for me and for us as a team. I'm excited for what's to come.»

Williams became the first quarterback in franchise history to lead seven fourth-quarter comebacks in a single season. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw three touchdowns in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter in a single postseason.

The fact that the Bears almost had an eighth fourth-quarter comeback win (which would have tied the most in NFL history) is the reason the quarterback heads into the offseason with optimism.

«We're going to be here for a little bit,» Williams said. «I'm excited about it. I'm excited about the growth. I'm excited about being able to go back and watch this. I'm excited to being able to get back and next year being able to learn more than I did this year, keep growing, and us as a team and an organization to be able to keep growing.»

The Bears experienced a significant turnaround in Ben Johnson's first season as coach. They went from five wins