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Bears coach Ben Johnson explains what went wrong on Caleb Williams’ game-ending INT

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams threw the game-ending interception vs. the Packers in Week 14. Coach Ben Johnson explained what went wrong.

Published

2 months ago

December 8, 2025

Bryan Perez

(Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire)

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams tarnished an otherwise Superman-like performance against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14 when he lofted a game-ending interception with less than 30 seconds to play.

The pass was intended for tight end Cole Kmet in the end zone, but instead fell easily into the hands of the Packers’ defender Keisean Nixon, who had the play well covered.

At least, that’s the way it ended. According to coach Ben Johnson, the play began with Kmet as an open target, and an easy touchdown would have been the result if Williams had been a tick faster on his throw.

the game-winning INT by Keisean Nixon is such a sweet play

you can see him traveling with DJ Moore across the formation post snap

then peels back to the open Cole Kmet for the pick on the extremely underthrown ball pic.twitter.com/pz1B8dAxgi
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) December 8, 2025

“It was a play that had a lot of options, and Cole (Kmet) happened to be the one that popped the most,” Johnson said. “It’s a good play by (Keisean) Nixon for them. He came off of his guy and made a play on the ball. But had we seen it a little bit sooner and given Cole a better chance, I think we would have been pretty happy with that result.”

MORE: Studs and Duds from Chicago Bears’ Week 14 loss to Packers

In other words, Williams was late, and the Bears lost the game. Had he delivered an earlier throw, the game likely would’ve headed to overtime.

Should Caleb Williams have targeted DJ Moore instead of Cole Kmet?

Post-game banter about the fateful final play involved whether DJ Moore should’ve been Williams’ target. Social media was abuzz with the clip of the play that revealed Moore breaking open for what would’ve been an easy score.

Johnson disagreed.

“I didn’t see him as being the answer in that time,” he said. “I think he came open more after the ball was released from Caleb.”

Packers coach Matt LaFleur admitted Green Bay got a little lucky on the game’s final play. It’s a painful revelation for Bears fans.

“We were playing for a run right there,” LaFleur said. “They threw a pass. It’s one of those things where we guessed wrong, until we didn’t.”

Consider it a learning experience for Caleb Williams. He has to be quicker and more deliberate with his decisions in those moments, as they can often be the difference between a win and a loss. The Bears found out the hard way on Sunday.