LAS VEGAS — Ben Johnson looked at Caleb Williams before the quarterback took the field.

“This is what you’re built for,” Johnson said.

The Chicago Bears had one more chance. Trailing by five points, they were getting the ball back with 6:45 remaining in Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

It had been a somewhat ugly performance for the Bears offense, which was forced to settle for four field goals in the game. But the first-year head coach had full faith in his quarterback at the biggest moment.

“That provided the belief and confidence that he has in me,” Williams said. “From there I went to the huddle and looked everybody in the eyes (and said), ‘This is the moment. This is where we go win the game.’”

That’s exactly what Williams and the offense did — with some clutch help from the special teams unit.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

The second-year quarterback led the Bears on an 11-play, 69-yard touchdown drive, capped with a 2-yard touchdown run from running back D’Andre Swift with 1:34 remaining in the game. The Bears took the lead, 25-24. Thanks to some late heroics from special teams ace Josh Blackwell, who blocked a potential game-winning field goal from the Raiders, the score stood.

Williams watched from the bench as Blackwell flew in from the edge and got a hand on the field goal try from Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson.

“I was sitting down trying to be calm,” Williams said. “Not too high, not too low in those moments.”

The moments after the block were anything but calm. The Bears sideline erupted and the special teams players mobbed Blackwell in the far end zone. A stadium that was filled with a healthy number of Bears fans erupted, too.

So many times last year, the Bears were on the losing end of games like this one. The Hail Mary. The kick they had blocked against the Packers. The Thanksgiving debacle in Detroit. For once, the Bears were the team making the unexpected play at the end.

Williams knows that his offense had to scratch and claw its way to a win on Sunday in Vegas, but it came in clutch when it mattered most.

“Grimy game,” Williams called it.

The Bears defense had four takeaways. Three of them came in the first half, but somehow the Bears still managed just nine points and 90 yards of offense by halftime. They could never find a rhythm.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby chases Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Raiders Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby was a big reason why. He was everywhere in the first half. Early in the game, he tipped a pass from Williams and caught his own tip for an interception.

Crosby matched in the first half against Bears right tackle Theo Benedet, who was making his first NFL start in place of injured Darnell Wright. Crosby had three tackles, three tackles for loss, two passes defended, an interception and a forced fumble in the first half alone.

He didn’t record a sack in the game, but he didn’t need to in order to make his presence felt.

“He’s very unorthodox,” Benedet said. “They let him, defensively, kind of give him free rein to do what he wants, so that kind of lets him jump around and occupy passing lanes.”

Tyree Wilson recorded the Raiders’ only sack in the game, but it was Crosby the Bears were most worried about.

“It certainly felt a lot worse than (one sack) because Caleb was having to elude a lot and continue to evade that rush,” Johnson said.

The Bears finally seemed to find some comfort after making a lineup change on the offensive line. They moved Benedet to left tackle and inserted rookie second-round draft pick Ozzy Trapilo in at right tackle. That meant starting left tackle Braxton Jones moved to the bench.

Benedet was an undrafted rookie out of the University of British Columbia a year ago, while Trapilo had never played a snap on offense in the NFL prior to Sunday. The Bears went with that lineup on the final possession of the first half and for the entire second half. On paper, that might not look like a recipe for success, but they were effective enough in the second half to somewhat quiet Crosby.

“It’s hard to get prepared for a guy like that,” Trapilo said.

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly is unable to stop Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift from scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sept. 28, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

After halftime, the offense finally seemed to find life. The Bears scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half. With the pocket collapsing around him, Williams stepped up and let it fly on a 27-yard score to receiver Rome Odunze.

“(I) stood in there and if I was going to get hit, I was going to get hit,” Williams said of the touchdown pass.

All of that was the backdrop to the final drive. Swift found space for a couple of nice runs. Williams hit DJ Moore for 13 yards. The quarterback scrambled for another first down. He found Odunze for a 17-yard gain to move into the red zone.

The Bears didn’t see a third down on the drive until they were faced with a third-and-4 from the Raiders’ 7-yard line. Knowing it was four-down territory, Johnson wasn’t afraid to call a run for Swift, who burst through to the 2-yard line for a first down.

On the next play, Johnson went back to Swift for a handoff to the left side. Swift outran everyone to the edge and squeezed into the end zone near the pylon.

“We knew what we had to do and, frankly, we kind of went out there and did it,” Trapilo said of the drive.

Sunday’s win marked only the third fourth-quarter comeback and only the second game-winning drive from Williams in his 21 NFL starts. The Week 18 win over the Packers to finish last season was his only other game-winning drive (although he would’ve had another if not for that aforementioned Hail Mary).

Williams prides himself on playing his best in the biggest moments. On Sunday, he did just that.

“He came through for us in a big way,” Johnson said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/28/chicago-bears-las-vegas-raiders-caleb-williams/