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James ‘Big Cat’ Williams on the Bears After Team’s Embarrassing Last-Second Loss to Commanders
The Chicago Bears snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Sunday in Washington, D.C.
The deflating last-second loss to the Commanders came after a string of three consecutive wins had Bears fans dreaming of a first post-season appearance since 2020.
Now instead of the playoffs, the talk is of a heartbreaking and improbable loss that some Bears players are calling the worst they’ve ever experienced.
Below, former Bears offensive lineman James “Big Cat” Williams shares his thoughts on that final Hail Mary play and the season so far.
On the Bears’ last-second loss to the Commanders:
“It was hard to watch. They had played so poorly in the first half, got themselves back into the game, took a lead 21 seconds left. You think the game is over and then you just started to watch a series of events unfold that just didn’t look like it was going to go in their favor. And unfortunately, it didn’t. You have a player out there with his back turned to the offense when the play starts. You have players telling other players where they should be positioned at points in time during those last two or three plays. It wasn’t a good look for a team that prides itself now on the character in the locker room — that’s just not very good character.”
On criticism of Tyrique Stevenson and whether he should be disciplined by the team:
“I think from inside the locker room, anyone in that locker room can criticize them any way they want. They know how he practices every day. They know what kind of person he is. From the outside looking in, I’m not around him every day, I don’t know if he’s a guy that would make mistakes like that on a regular basis or if it was just a one-time thing. You hear all the people wanting to cut them and do all these different things. You always hear that players that are very good or very important to the team get a little longer rope than others. And it’s true.”
On the Bears’ offensive progress:
“I think you’ve seen the Bears’ offense has grown a little bit, but unfortunately it hasn’t grown against superior defenses. When you’ve seen them go up against the good defenses they’ve struggled. When you’ve seen them go up against defenses that are a little below average, they’ve played well and they’ve looked good.”
On the Bears’ defense:
“The defense isn’t looking bad. They’re playing that old-school cover to bend but don’t break — giving up field goals, not giving up touchdowns. Even with the Hail Mary they only gave up 18 points, and you would think that with all the offensive firepower that is still enough for you to win.”
On expectations for rookie QB and overall first-round draft pick Caleb Williams:
“You expect them to grow. You expect to see progression as you move on. You don’t want to see two steps forward and then a step back and I think that kind of what we got out of the Washington game was a step back.”
On competition in the NFC North:
“It’s a rough division. I mean, you look at Detroit and right now they’re rolling. Minnesota has come out and look a lot better than I think people thought they would. Green Bay is playing well right now, and unfortunately with a loss the Bears are down at the bottom of the list and have to fight their way back up.”
On the Bears upcoming game Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals:
My first concern is that carry over from the Washington game. Does that Hail Mary, does the tension in the locker room carry over into Arizona? And if that happens, I don’t know if they have a chance to beat Arizona.
