Ranking Bears QB Caleb Williams' best 5 throws of the season

Ryan Poles’ reaction to Caleb Williams’ touchdown pass to Cole Kmet near the end of regulation Sunday was the same as yours.

“I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't believe it,” the Bears general manager said this week. “It was a ridiculous throw. And that's a credit to him and his genetics and his arm, his ability to create — and pocket awareness.”

It was Williams’ most mind-bending throw of the year — and that’s saying something.

Breaking down the five most ridiculous passes by the Bears’ quarterback:

1.         The Halfcourt Heave
The game: Divisional round playoffs Jan. 18 vs. the Rams at Soldier Field
The situation: Down seven with 27 seconds to play, the Bears faced fourth-and-four from the Rams’ 14.
The play: Staring down playoff elimination, Williams took the shotgun snap and was immediately pressured. He backpedaled to the 25 and then turned and sprinted with his back to the line of scrimmage, weaving to his left and then right before planting his at the 40 and throwing the ball 51.2 yards toward the back left corner of the end zone, where tight end Cole Kmet camped, wide open, under the touchdown pass. For as difficult as Williams’ throw was to make, Kmet, a former Notre Dame baseball player, compared the pass itself to a lazy fly ball to center field.
Number to know: Williams threw the ball 26.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, per NFL Next Gen Stats. No NFL quarterback in the last nine years had completed a pass from more than 22 yards deep.
He said it: “This is the best throw I’ve ever seen.” — ESPN analyst and former Bears QB Chase Daniel

2.         The Packer Dagger
The game: Week 16 game Dec. 20 vs. Packers at Soldier Field
The situation: Trailing by 10 with 2:04 to play, the Bears kicked a field goal, got the onside kick and scored on a fourth-and-four pass to rookie Jahdae Walker to force overtime.
The play: Three plays after Packers quarterback Malik Willis fumbled in overtime, Williams took a snap from under center, faked a handoff and shuffled to his right. He looked downfield for receiver DJ Moore, who was running a deep crossing route from right to left with cornerback Keisean Nixon — who intercepted Williams to win the rivalry’s first meeting of the year — draped all over him. Williams launched the throw deep toward Moore, who caught the ball and fell to the ground near the NFL logo in the north end zone.
The 46-yard walk-off winner beat the rival Packers for the first time at Soldier Field since 2018 and kept the Bears in first place in the NFC North.
Number to know: 2.0 — The score given the play by Pro Football Focus, the 29th throw out more than 370,000 passes since 2006 to earn the perfect grade.
He said it: “The longer the ball’s in the air, the harder it is to throw it accurately and the harder it is to catch. … It was an absolutely perfect throw.An A+ throw. A moonball for a walk-off win in Chicago.” — Fox analyst Tom Brady, breaking down his throws of the year.

3.         The Jumpman
The game: Wild card round playoff game Jan. 10 vs. Packers at Soldier Field
The situation: After a false start by center Drew Dalman sent the Bears back five yards, they faced fourth-and-eight from their own 43 while trailing the Packers by 11 with 5:37 to play.
The play: Williams took the shotgun snap and, seeing no one open, sprinted left. Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie gave chase and dove at Williams’ feet. Williams jumped on a dead sprint and, with both feet in the air, threw a 27-yard completion to Rome Odunze. The Bears finished that drive with a touchdown, and did so on the next possession, too, to rally and beat the rival Packers. Viewed from the south end zone, Williams’ body looked like Michael Jordan’s “Jumpman” logo when he threw the ball.
Number to know: 97.8% — The Packers’ likelihood of winning the game when the Bears lined up on fourth-and-eight.
He said it: “He was, like, floating.” — Kmet, on Williams’ throw

4.         “The Catch”
The game: Week 15 game Dec. 14 vs the Browns at Soldier Field
The situation: Leading 14-3, the Bears intercepted quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the third quarter to give them first down at the Browns’ 22.
The play: Williams rolled right and, just before he reached the Browns sideline, heaved a ball into the back right corner of the end zone off his back foot. The throw zipped past two leaping defenders and landed in Moore’s arms for a 22-yard touchdown.
The play gained attention on social media for its similarity to Joe Montana’s 1982 touchdown throw to Dwight Clark to win a 49ers playoff game, dubbed “The Catch.” Williams wisely downplayed the comparison, saying it was a “little bit different situation.”
Number to know: 16.1% — The probability the throw would be completed, per NFL Next Gen Stats. When it was, it became, at the time, the most unlikely Bears completion since 2021.
He said it: “I would say, 99% of the quarterbacks, you tell them, ‘Don't even waste your time looking back there and trying to make that throw —there are usually bad things that happen.’” — Bears coach Ben Johnson

5.         Colston’s catch-and-run
The game: Week 10 game Nov. 2 at Bengals
The situation: Out of timeouts, the Bears trailed the Bengals by one at their own 42 with 25 seconds left.
The play: Williams took the shotgun snap and found rookie tight end Colston Loveland down the middle of the field, zipping a pass between three Bengals defenders. The play is best-remembered for what Loveland did next — bounce off a tackler at the Bengals, pirouette and sprint down the middle of the field for the 58-yard touchdown. He crossed the goal line with 17 seconds left to seal the win for the Bears, who had blown a 14-point lead in the game’s final five minutes.

Number to know: 58.7% — The boost in the Bears’ win probability after the play.
He said it: “At that moment it was like Steph Curry with [coach] Steve Kerr: ‘Oh no, no, no, no, yes, yes!’” — Williams on Loveland sprinting to the end zone when the clock could have run out had he been tackled.