That sample size should make Bears fans feel good about their chances in the high-pressure world that is postseason football. After Bears head coach Ben Johnson praised Williams for being “built for these moments,” Williams agreed for their third meeting with the Packers on Saturday.
“I think I’m built for these moments mentally, the way I’ve worked,” Williams said. “I’ve been in a lot of big games before and a lot of big rivalry games. In those moments and in these moments, I think I can spark the team. I think I can do whatever my team needs me to do. Whether it’s being in the pocket, whether it’s running, whether it’s a fumble, whether it’s handling the ball 30 times and where I’m at and where I’m at and where I’m at. I’m going to be with the next two weeks hopefully.
Williams made a name for himself by playing hero in his first collegiate appearance, replacing Spencer Rattler in the Oklahoma Sooners’ Red River Rivalry game against Texas and sparking a comeback effort that saw the Sooners overcome an 18-point deficit to defeat the Longhorns. He’s done it a lot since then, in both his next and final college stops at USC and with the Bears.
But Chicago knows it can’t script any more memorable moments without ensuring the Bears stay in playoff contention.
“We certainly don’t want to have to lean on that every week,” Johnson said. “We want to start a little faster and make it more of a complete game for 60 minutes.”
The Bears will get their chance to do so Saturday in the friendly confines of Soldier Field, a venue that harbors nothing but hatred for the visiting Packers. Williams can expect high energy, bright lights and a chance to play a hero again.
“It’s a different game,” he said of the Wild Card Weekend showdown. “Then you go out there and play for your team. You understand you don’t have another game. But in my mind, I go into it, it’s another game and go out and go win a game.”