Bears QB Caleb Williams has all the luck

Some guys have “it.” And some guys don’t.

Jay Cutler had tremendous talent but couldn’t buy a break. Even when he was in the right place, it seemed like the wrong time. In 2011, Cutler was leading the Bears (7-3) to their fifth straight victory that would stamp them as a legitimate threat to the 10-0 Packers, when fate intervened.

With the Bears leading the Chargers 31-20 in the fourth quarter and about to put the hammer down at the Chargers’ 30-yard line, Cutler’s short pass to wide receiver Johnny Knox was intercepted by cornerback Antoine Cason when Knox slipped on the Soldier Field turf. Not only that, but Cutler suffered a broken thumb chasing down Cason and missed the final six games of the season. The Bears lost the first five of them and finished 8-8, out of the playoffs.

That was all too typical of the misfortune that dogged Cutler’s NFL career. There was always something — not enough weapons, a bad offensive line, a bad defense, a new offensive coordinator, a deflected pass, a receiver slipping on the turf. Or some strange defensive lapse in the final minute that would turn victory into defeat against the Packers.

Caleb Williams doesn’t seem to have those issues. On the contrary, suffering through a season under Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron as a rookie led to him being paired with Ben Johnson — still not the mentally tethered QB/coach connection it could be — and perhaps needs to be — but already better than Cutler and anybody.

And whether or not Williams has the quarterback instincts to reach that elite level, he has an ability to focus and slow the game down in crunch time that creates good fortune. That’s what happened against the Bengals on Sunday, when after avoiding a misplay under pressure on three plays in the final minute, he connected with tight end Colston Loveland and let the same football gods who tormented Cutler take over.

Bengals safety Jordan Battle carelessly tried to shoulder Loveland to the ground and instead bumped him away from safety Geno Stone, springing Loveland for the game-winning touchdown.

It remains to be seen if Williams has the coveted “it” factor, but being the right guy at the right place at the right time can create the same success. And he already has good fortune that Cutler could only dream of. Williams has started 25 consecutive games in his two seasons (knock on wood) — tied for the sixth longest quarterback streak in Bears history. Cutler’s best was 23 games — a streak that ended in that fateful game against the Chargers in 2011.

Flip side

2. The Times, They Are A-changin’ Dept.: A Bengals challenge turned a potential touchback into a Bears touchdown when officials ruled upon replay review that DJ Moore not only did not lose possession on an end around at the pylon, but actually broke the plane of the end zone for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 41-27 lead in the fourth quarter.

That’s virtually the opposite of John Fox’s bad luck in 2017, when he challenged a play in which Benny Cunningham was ruled out at the 2-yard line as he extended his arm to hit the pylon. Instead of giving the Bears a touchdown, officials ruled that Cunningham lost possession before being down for the touchback that Bengals coach Zac Taylor was hoping for Sunday.

Mild kingdom

3. How bad is the Bengals defense? The Bengals have allowed 284 points (35.5 per game) in their last eight games — the worst eight-game stretch in the NFL since 2011. And six of those previous games were with All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who did not play against the Bears.

The Bengals, by the way, are the sixth consecutive defense the Bears have faced that currently ranks in the bottom 11 in the NFL in points allowed — after the Cowboys (31st), Raiders (23rd), Commanders (22nd), Saints (T24th) and Ravens (T24th). In fact, with the Giants (28th), Vikings (20th), Steelers (21st) and Eagles (19th) up next, the Bears might not face a defense in the upper half of the NFL until Week 14 against the Packers (eighth).

Big bullies

4. The Ben Johnson Effect: The Bears have beaten up on bad defenses before, but never quite like this: They had five touchdown drives of 70 or more yards for the first time in the Super Bowl era (73, 74, 77, 74 and 72 yards).

Not even in the 61-20 rout of the 49ers when Gale Sayers scored six of the Bears’ nine touchdown or the 73-0 demoltion of the Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game did they accomplish that.

Yard work

5. The Bears’ 576 total yards in the win over the Bengals are not only the sixth most in franchise history but the most ever in a one-score victory. They had 503 total yards in a 34-33 victory over the Cowboys at the Cotton Bowl in 1962. They had 522 yards in a 29-23 loss to the Colts in 2016 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Magic act

6. Johnson resorted to trickery that did not seem necessary against such a bad defense (other than to give future opponents something to think about) — the Cole Kmet incomplete pass, the “Philly Special” with DJ Moore throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to Williams and the double-pass with Tyson Bagent throwing a 20-yard completion to Williams.

But besides showing off his unpredictability, Johnson showed off his propensity to throw a curve when an opponent is on tilt — the double-pass after Austin Booker’s strip-sack was recovered by Gervon Dexter; and Moore’s end-around right after Kyle Monangai’s 39-yard run. That’s an aggressive streak that figures to be beneficial against even good defenses.

Growing role

7. It wouldn’t be a surprise if rookie Kyle Monangai becomes the primary running back in Johnson’s offense after rushing for 176 yards on 26 carries against the Bengals.

In 2022, D’Andre Swift had 15 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown in Ben Johnson’s first game as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, but struggled to play well through injuries after that and lost his primary role to Jamaal Williams, who rushed for 1,066 yards and an NFL-best 17 touchdowns that season.

The compact Monangai has a fundamental running style that fits the Johnson offense well — it fits any offense well, actually — and his improved pass protection is giving Johnson more reason to lean on him as the offense continues to grow.

This and that

8. Quick Hits: The Bears won the penalty-yardage differential for the first time this season (seven penalties, 43 yards for a plus-6) but only because their poor defense led to four declined penalties for 42 yards. … The Bears’ strength of victory (12-31-1, .284) is 17th among the 17 teams with winning records this season. They’ve beaten the Cowboys (3-5-1), Raiders (2-6), Commanders (3-6), Saints (1-8) and Bengals (3-6) … Rome Odunze, averaging 59.1 receiving yards per game, did not catch a pass against the Bengals — the highest average for a Bears wide receiver shutout since Curtis Conway (40-783, 12 touchdowns, 78.3 average going in) had no catches (and one drop) in a 24-17 loss to the Lions in 1995 — ending a streak of seven games with a touchdown.

Center of attention

9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Rams center Coleman Shelton played all 80 snaps as the Rams had a season-high 171 rushing yards in a 34-10 victory over the Saints. Shelton is ranked ninth among centers in the NFL and fifth in run blockings, per Pro Football Focus.

The Rams were eighth in points and seventh in yards in 2023 with Shelton. They dropped to 20th and 15th without him last year. And are back to eighth and seven this season with him.

Pick ‘em

10. Bear-ometer — 9-8: vs. Giants (W); at Vikings (L); vs. Steelers (W); at Eagles (L); at Packers (L); vs. Browns (W); vs. Packers (W); at 49ers (L); vs. Lions (L).