“Despite the displeasure I might be presenting right now, there’s a lot of good in terms of building this team that comes from a win like this because it’s like I said, one, it’s hard to win under those circumstances,” coach Ben Johnson said. “We really haven’t been in that situation where in the fourth quarter with little time left, needing to go and field goal, touchdown, whatever that is. It just hasn’t happened a whole lot this year. And yet I feel like our guys, we are prepped for that and we’re ready for it. That’s what I know now after going through that. I know as a play-caller, I certainly felt great. It was as calm as I felt on calling plays there that last drive as I was all game long.”

Sunday marked the third time since 2000 the Bears have won a game committing at least five turnovers; the previous two such games came in the 2006 season, when they appeared in Super Bowl XLI. Williams’ four INTs were the most by any quarterback in a win since Jared Goff had five interceptions in a Week 10, 2024 win over the Texans, also on Sunday Night Football.

Williams’ performance against the Bucs’ blitzes told the story. He started 7 of 10 for 124 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz. Then he went 4 of 10 for 22 yards and three interceptions on his next nine drives. On the game-winning drive, he completed 3 of 4 passes for 52 yards against the blitz.

“They sent the same blitz a couple of times, and they got through, and that’s what happens,” Williams said. “When a defense sends a similar blitz or sends a blitz over and over, that just means that they’re getting through. That means they’re going to keep going until we stop it. We have to find ways to get better. We have to find ways to push through that. We have to find ways when it does happen, we have to make the adjustments. And then when it does happen, I have to be the big eraser.”

It wasn’t pretty for Williams, whose impressive 70% completion percentage entering the game took a hit, but it didn’t cost the Bears a win in a hotly contested NFC North race — and that’s what really matters.