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Courtney Cronin
As his Chicago Bears teammates mobbed kicker Cairo Santos to celebrate his game-winning 48-yard field goal on Sunday, quarterback Caleb Williams wore a stern expression as he went to shake hands with Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy.
It was hard to tell Williams had just led his fifth game-winning drive of the season, tying the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix for the most in the NFL. Williams likely was more focused on what the Bears could have done better. The drive, such as it was, featured three runs by D’Andre Swift that covered just nine yards, but it achieved its goal of eating up the clock. Santos’ kick as time expired was set up by Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard kickoff return.
It was another too-close-for-comfort win, given the Bears squandered a double-digit lead to start the fourth quarter, but Williams has developed crunch-time confidence that isn’t dependent on style points.
«I feel more comfortable in those moments,» Williams said. «I think my heart rate drops. I think everything kind of settles in. It’s gotta-have-it moments.»
After losing seven one-score games during Williams’ rookie season last year, the Bears have turned around their late-game luck in large part due to their quarterback. Williams is the only QB with 4+ touchdowns and zero turnovers in the final 2 minutes of either half this season. It’s a big reason why the Bears are 5-1 in one-score games and currently atop the NFC North with a 7-3 record.
Among the reasons for Williams’ success is his ability to make plays with his legs. In Week 9, Williams was in position to hit Colston Loveland for a game-winning 58-yard touchdown with 25 seconds to play in Cincinnati because he picked up 14 yards with his legs on the previous play. Against the Giants in Week 10, Williams ran in a 17-yard touchdown to give the Bears the lead in the two-minute drill.
Dak Prescott leads the NFL in QBR (98) in the last two minutes of both halves, followed by Williams (91.6), Nix (86.3), the New England Patriots’ Drake Maye (85.7) and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers (85).
The Bears host the Steelers (6-4) on Sunday and are 2.5-point favorites, meaning it’s likely to be another close game. It could be the perfect setting for two of this season’s most successful two-minute drill practitioners, assuming Rodgers returns after injuring his left wrist.
Cowboys reporter Todd Archer, Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold, Patriots reporter Mike Reiss and Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor explain why the other four QBR leaders in the two-minute drill have been so effective.
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Stephen A.: Cowboys’ playoff hopes come down to next 3 weeks
Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the next three weeks determine the fate of the Dallas Cowboys’ season.
Stats: 6 TD passes in the two-minute drill are the most in the NFL; 71% completion percentage is second, as is Prescott’s 9.2 yards per attempt.
Why he has been so effective: In his 10th year as the starting quarterback, Prescott understands situational football extremely well. While coaches have to be on top of game management, quarterbacks need an innate feel for it.
Prescott has 24 victories when the game has been tied or the Cowboys have been trailing in the fourth quarter, tying Tony Romo for the most in team history. There isn’t much he hasn’t seen from a defense.
Big plays help. Javonte Williams has had runs of 66 and 33 yards to set up end-of-half scores. Prescott has thrown four passes of at least 18 yards to get the Cowboys into scoring position. An 18-yarder set up Brandon Aubrey’s game-tying 64-yard field goal at the end of regulation in Week 2 against the New York Giants. Prescott credits the situational work the Cowboys do in practice to get them ready for games. — Archer
Quote: «We’ve got a great locker room that understands that you win and lose a lot of games in those moments. So it’s just details in the practices that we get when we’re doing that, and it’s been fun to see those things pay off and it just gives you confidence when you’re in those situations going forward.» — Prescott
Stats: 4 TD passes are tied for second in the two-minute drill, and his 86 QBR is third.
Why he has been so effective: Nix said he likes the tempo of end-of-half, end-of-game situations because usually the Broncos have picked up the pace a bit, and it scales down the menu of plays.
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He also doesn’t take many sacks — plays coach Sean Payton calls «drive-killers» that «are like turnovers. With 12 sacks in 11 games, only the Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold has a lower sack rate among the league’s starters, and he has 105 fewer pass attempts than Nix.
The Broncos have avoided too many down-and-distance situations that are heavier lifts just before the half or with the game on the line. — Legwold
Quote: «It’s a belief, or a mentality, or a grit or a toughness. We just have this belief if we get to the end of the game — it starts with a defense where you know they’re going to stop them, at some critical moment they’re going to stop them and we’re going to have opportunity after opportunity [on offense].» — Nix
Stats: Leads the NFL with a 72% completion percentage in the two-minute drill, is third in yards per attempt (9.2) and tied for seventh in TD passes (3).
Why he has been so effective: The Patriots have received the opening kickoff of the second half seven times, a result, in part, of winning the game’s opening toss seven times. That has allowed coach Mike Vrabel, coordinator Josh McDaniels and Maye to manage the majority of games with the strategy of having back-to-back possessions.
Stefon Diggs in the back left corner of the end zone at the end of the second quarter in a Week 10 win over the Buccaneers (accompanied by a Diggs toe-tap), and a third-and-11 back-shoulder sideline gem to WR Kayshon Boutte to close out a Week 6 win over the Saints, are among Maye’s best tight-window work. — Reiss
Quote: «In practice, we put a lot of emphasis in knowing the situations, knowing what type of mode we’re in — if we want to drain some clock or try to get some points. I think the guys have responded well from practice to the games.
«It goes back to practicing in training camp full speed, and the first few times against our defense we maybe weren’t very good. Just practicing against a good defense — end of the game, end of the half — and the more experience I get with them, I think the better we’re becoming and improving.» — Maye
1:11
Jeff Saturday: Aaron Rodgers is playing vs. the Bears
Kimberley A. Martin and Jeff Saturday expect Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will do whatever he can to play vs. the Bears.
Stats: Tied with Maye with 3 TD passes in the two-minute drill; fifth in QBR.
Why he has been so effective: Rodgers has been a master of the two-minute drill throughout his 21-year career thanks in large part to his calm demeanor, precision and pocket awareness. Though at 41 years old, Rodgers isn’t as mobile as he was earlier in his career, he has still had moments of effectively extending plays, and his two decades of experience has continued to make him a cool customer in the game’s most high-pressure moments.
He got off to a rocky start in the two-minute periods during training camp and joint practices, but the offense has been more effective in the regular season. Though he didn’t appear as settled in his last six quarters of action as he did earlier this season, he has still completed 61% of attempts and thrown 3 touchdowns. His 5.0 yards per attempt, though, in the 2-minute offense ranks 32nd, illustrating how his approach has changed later in his career. Instead of letting it fly, Rodgers is instead content to get the ball out quickly and let his playmakers pick up yards after the catch. –Pryor
Quote: «He’s in complete command. I’ve seen some things that I’ve seen from the opposing sideline over the years in terms of his ability to take advantage of substitution changes and so forth.» – Mike Tomlin on Rodgers’ two-minute prowess.
