Caleb Williams just became a Chicago sports legend.
Michael Jordan, the 2016 Cubs, Patrick Kane, and Caleb Williams.
On a do-or-die play on fourth down, the sophomore quarterback scrambled, danced, and almost reached midfield from the red zone as he launched the ball into the snowy night.
A throw that has been chucked thousands of times before at the end of halves or games that fly out of bounds or are easily picked off somehow landed perfectly into the waiting hands of tight end Cole Kmet.
A playoff elimination suddenly turned into a tie, with a sold-out Soldier Field crowd shaking the old building to its core as the coronation of their next franchise face in the biggest moment imaginable.
But it was only tied. And in overtime, after driving down to the field and only one pass away from being in field-goal range to win it, a mixed-up route by DJ Moore led to an interception.
Heartbreak.
Rams go on to win, and the miracle throw into the snowflakes goes from an iconic moment in NFL history to merely a building block for their next franchise quarterback.
“It was the most special throw I have ever seen,” teammate Kevin Byard III said after the game. “Left us speechless on the sideline.”
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Following the game, Williams talked about the gut-punch defeat and attempted his best to summarize his feelings from a game that he’ll be connected to for the rest of his career.
“It’s tough,” he said. “The best moments are in that locker room after wins and being with all those guys who have a common goal. You all sacrifice family time and other things. … In these moments, you feel like you let your team down. It’s a good lesson to learn for us. First time being in this situation for me and the team, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Head coach Ben Johnson lauded his young signal caller in his own post-game presser, saying that Williams has skills “that can’t be taught” and his miracle throw was something for the ages.
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