CHICAGO — With 2 minutes, 14 seconds left in a grueling game against the Seattle Seahawks, fans sitting at the United Club of Soldier Field began to chant.
“Sell the team!”
“Sell the team!”
“Sell the team!”
The Chicago Bears decided to punt after a false start by offensive lineman Jake Curhan turned a 4-and-4 from their own 39 into a 4-and-5.
“Sell the team!”
“Sell the team!”
But wait… The Bears called a timeout. They changed their minds. They wanted to go for it.
After all, what did the Bears have to lose but another game in another losing season for an NFL franchise?
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But the chanting started again.
And they spread.
“Sell the team!”
The only thing that seemed to stop them was what quarterback Caleb Williams did in the waning moments of the game with the Bears mismanaging the clock further.
On fourth-and-5, Williams dodged a full-throated Seahawks blitz and connected with receiver DJ Moore over the middle for a 14-yard gain. With three plays on 3rd-and-14, Williams avoided more pressure from Seattle and completed a 15-yard pass to rookie receiver Rome Odunze after being hit in the neck by linebacker Boye Mafe.
But the chant will return.
Williams threw an interception midway through the Bears’ final offensive play against another all-out effort from Seattle. Quarterback Geno Smith took a knee in the Seahawks’ 6-3 win on “Thursday Night Football.”
“Sell the team!” Chants erupted from Bears fans at Soldier Field tonight.
🎥 @jacobinfante24 pic.twitter.com/ErHL3deV9X
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 27, 2024
The fans decided to stage this ugly match the day after Christmas and told it to Chairman George McCaskey and his family once again. Their chants grew louder and angrier.
“Sell the team!”
“Sell the team!”
“Sell the team!”
As always, things can and will get worse for the Bears. Fans went from “Fire Nagy” to “Fire Flus” to “Sell the team,” which, according to some longtime observers, was the new home crowd anthem. The Bears’ losing streak extended to 10 games. The only thing missing is the Green Bay Packers’ annual Bears battering.
And it will come in the season finale at Lambeau Field.
Williams tried to blame himself for what happened against the Seahawks. He’s right to think he can play better, especially with the Bears defense playing its best game since coach Matt Eberflus was fired. Williams was 16-for-28 passing for 122 yards. He was fired seven times. His scoreless streak ended with the final pitch. It was one of his worst games of the season and was aired on national television.
“I didn’t play good enough,” Williams said. “I didn’t help put the team in a good position to win, a better position to win. That’s what it is.”
Williams pointed out a “stupid” sack he took against the Seahawks. He has been sacked a league-high 67 times this season.
“I’m certainly going to be very enthusiastic about this case because of some of the circumstances we find ourselves in,” he said.
Caleb Williams did not complete a single pass further than six yards downfield until the final regulation of the Bears’ TNF loss to the Seahawks.
🔸 AY under 10: 15/17, 107 yards (+4.5% CPOE)
🔸 Over 10 AY: 1/9, 15 yards, INT (-27.2% CPOE)#SEavsCHI | #Dabears pic.twitter.com/4pr4JU2jsm— Next Generation Statistics (@NextGenStats) December 27, 2024
But it’s still unfair to expect a rookie quarterback to overcome everything this disastrous season has to offer. He needs to play better, but he’s trying to dig himself out of a hole he didn’t dig himself. His first NFL offensive coordinator and head coach was fired mid-season, something the Bears had never done before this year. The team will soon be looking for its sixth head coach under McCaskey.
Thursday’s “sell the team” chant at Soldier Field came just four days after Detroit Lions fans filled Soldier Field with Honolulu blue and watched their team cruise to a 34-17 win. A day later, Packers fans chanted “The Bears still suck” on “Monday Night Football” as their favorite team defeated the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field.
Williams was asked about the fans’ chants and frustration.
He said, “This is the first year. “Their frustrations go back much further than I have been here. My job is to go out and win games. We don’t focus on external noise. The fans, they will cheer and sometimes they will boo. You can’t react to it. That’s not what we react to. We have work to do. And some days he doesn’t work well, some days he’s pretty consistent, and some days he plays great.”
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Williams’ best play Thursday night was negated by a penalty kick in the second quarter. On third-and-10 from the Seahawks’ 17, Williams scrambled left and fired a touchdown pass to Odunze in the end zone. Curhan, who replaced injured starting pitcher Teven Jenkins, was penalized for holding. The Bears settled for Cairo Santos’ 42-yard field goal.
They never scored again.
Williams remains the Bears’ most attractive player, but he desperately needs coaching help both on and off the field. He can’t let this terrible season derail his progress.
And the Bears, being Bears, haven’t broken him yet.
“It’s frustrating and frustrating, but I would say it’s a learning experience,” Williams said. “I definitely think this will be good for me. “I’m looking forward to this last game and I’m looking forward to the future.”
(Photo: Michael Reeves / Getty Images)
