Caleb Williams played arguably his best game in OT loss to Vikings. Here’s what Thomas Brown is doing right

CHICAGO – The Minnesota Vikings were protecting the sidelines. With just 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Chicago Bears didn’t have any timeouts remaining. The Vikings were daring the Bears to throw over the middle.

Quarterback Caleb Williams stepped up into a clean pocket and did just that.

“They were playing back a little bit,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “They were playing more of a sideline [protection]. The in-cut there was open. A really good job of stepping up and delivering there.”

The play went for 27 yards and drew the Bears into field goal range. Williams and the offense had just enough time to spike the football, and then send out kicker Cairo Santos for a game-tying 48-yard field goal Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Bears wound up losing in overtime, 30-27, after a dramatic finish in which the Bears converted an on-side kick to keep their hopes alive. Yes, it was a loss, but it also was one of Williams’ best games of the season.

The rookie quarterback finished his day 32-for-47 passing for 340 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers. Along the way, Williams passed Mitchell Trubisky’s rookie record for passing yards. Williams is at 2,356 passing yards on the season. He also matched Charlie O’Rourke’s rookie passing touchdown record with his 11th touchdown pass of the season. O’Rourke set that Bears record in 1942.

But it was a throw that Williams didn’t make that will eat at him the most after Sunday’s overtime loss.

The Bears won the coin toss and received the football first in overtime. The possession was short-lived, however, because Williams took a 12-yard sack on second down. Williams saw nobody open and spent far too long scrambling in the backfield.

“They dropped a bunch of guys out knowing that we had to get a good chunk play,” Williams said. “I held the ball too long and they made a great play. I should’ve just thrown the ball out of bounds.”

It proved costly.

The Bears punted to Minnesota and never touched the football again. The Vikings drove 68 yards to set up a game-winning field goal from kicker Parker Romo.

The Bears had trailed 27-16 with only two minutes remaining in the game. Williams made some big throws to keep his team alive on an afternoon when he was making a lot of big throws. DJ Moore totaled 106 yards and a touchdown on seven catches, while Keenan Allen added 86 yards and a score on nine catches.

The game-tying field goal was also a moment of redemption for Santos, who had his potential game-winning field goal attempt blocked last week against the Green Bay Packers. Against the Vikings, Santos again had a field goal blocked in the first half, but in the final seconds he came through and nailed the game-tying kick.

“I had faith in myself that I could hit the ball well to make a clutch kick if it came down to that because I know I’m not missing the ball wide,” Santos said. “I’m just kind of making kicks or getting it blocked. So my confidence is high in myself, but I need to hit the ball better so we don’t have any more of this situation happening to us. But I was locked in for that game-winning kick.”

[Thomas Brown] has a certain aura to him that he just allows you to play free. He knows what he wants and you know he knows what he wants.”

—  Caleb Williams, Bears quarterback

In two games since changing offensive coordinators, Williams believes he’s playing with a lot more freedom. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said this week that there are no moral victories for the offense. A loss is a loss.

But the No. 1 overall draft pick is playing with a confidence that he didn’t have just a few weeks ago. Everybody on offense is praising the communication skills that Brown brings to the table. Brown is getting play calls in earlier. Players believe in what he’s calling, and the results are apparent.

The vibes are undoubtedly good.

“I don’t want to use this word, but his aura, I guess,” Williams said when asked about Brown. “He has a certain aura to him that he just allows you to play free. He knows what he wants and you know he knows what he wants.”

The Bears dropped to 4-7 with the loss. This season is going nowhere. But the rookie quarterback is starting to figure some things out, and that is a good thing for the Bears.