Bears vs. Packers: Biggest winner in Chicago's latest heartbreaker

The Chicago Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers, 20-19, which marked their fourth consecutive defeat. This also marked 11 straight losses for Chicago against Green Bay. It’s an embarrassing statistic but it is the reality for the league’s oldest rivalry.

This one stung a little bit more because of how it ended. After blowing a late lead, quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense got the team back into field goal range. Their head coach didn’t encourage them to try and get even closer and they went for the 46-yard field goal. Of course, Cairo Santos' attempt was blocked and they took defeat from the hands of victory.

Despite another gut-wrenching loss, there was one shining silver lining amidst it all: Williams, who had arguably his best game as a pro under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Williams should be very happy with this game. He wasn’t the problem. After a few bad weeks led to the worry for some folks, it is clear that coaching is the problem. With new Brown in place and Shane Waldron gone, Williams looked like a new man. Brown put his quarterback in a position to succeed and develop confidence, including establishing the run game with D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, as well as quick passes and easy completions that allowed Williams to settle in.

Williams completed 23-of-31 passes for 231 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. Some of the throws he made came on third down, where he needed to be clutch and got the ball into small windows. Williams also unlocked his running ability, totaling nine carries for 70 yards. Most of the time, it was playmaking types of runs instead of designs, which adds to how impressive he was.

Based on the tools that Williams showed in a game like this, it is clear that he's closer to being like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson in terms of status in the league (nobody is Patrick Mahomes) than being a draft bust. The throws he can make are impressive, and he can use his legs when he needs to get out of trouble.

In the broadcast booth, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady was even impressed by Williams more than once. This was an encouraging sign for the young rookie. There were always going to be growing pains, but the flashes of him being a star are there.

Williams spread the ball around well in this one. Fellow rookie Rome Odunze had six receptions for 65 yards, DJ Moore had seven catches for 62 yards, Coke Kmet had three receptions for 42 yards, and Keenan Allen had four catches for 41 yards. Swift and Johnson were great out of the backfield both on the ground and through the air, as well. Williams had something to do with that.

Usually, the quarterback of the losing team won’t feel like much of a winner, but he was the one winner for this Bears team in the loss. It isn’t his fault that his head coach, Matt Eberflus, wasted double-digit seconds to force a 46-yard field goal attempt instead of trying to get closer.

The head coach has now taken two game-winning drives away from the rookie, which would have been great to have on his resume after his first season. Again, that’s not on Williams. We can only hope that his overall growth isn’t stunted before they get Eberflus out.

For the rest of the season that is sure to end outside of the playoffs now, Williams needs to continue having games like this. Brown’s playcalling may be able to help him do that. No matter what, he should not let losses that aren’t his fault affect his confidence.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Packers: Biggest winner in Chicago's latest heartbreaker