Caleb Williams is looking to lead the Chicago Bears to a divisional round win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. The Bears headed into this matchup after defeating the Green Bay Packers in the wild card round, and they are now fighting for a spot in the conference championship.
Williams has been the driving force behind the Bears’ title push. In 17 games played in the regular season, the 24-year-old quarterback registered 330-of-568 completed passes (58.1%) for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Williams also added 388 yards and three touchdowns on the ground on 77 carries.
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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams Via Imagn Images
(Via Imagn Images)
Williams was involved in a contentious incident early in Sunday’s game. With 13:02 left in the opening quarter, the Bears decided to go for it at fourth-and-2 from the Rams’ 21-yard line. Williams, however, overthrew his pass to rookie tight end Colston Loveland, which ended up getting intercepted by Rams defensive back Cobie Durant.
Upon watching the replay, NBC’s rules analyst Terry McAulay, a former NFL referee, claimed that a personal foul should have been called on Rams defensive end Kobie Turner for his tackle on Williams. Turner’s right hand made contact with Williams’ head after the former attempted to block the pass.
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According to McAulay, the referees should have called a roughing the passer penalty on Turner. Had they done so, it would have negated Williams’ interception. The Rams would have been penalized 15 yards, resulting in an automatic first down for Chicago.
Although the foul was not called during the game, the NFL will review the incident retroactively for possible punishment. According to the rulebook, “any physical acts against a player who is in a passing posture (i.e. before, during, or after attempting a pass) which, in the game official’s judgment, are unwarranted by the circumstances of the play will be called as fouls.”
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The NFL’s Player Safety Rules also stipulate that roughing the passer penalties can be subjected to a $17,389 for a first offense and $23,186 for a second offense. For context, Turner, now in his third season in the NFL, has not been fined throughout his career. He will now await the league’s decision on his incident, which will be announced via the gameday accountability report on Saturday.
Williams also hurt his throwing hand on the play. The Bears QB hit his right hand on Turner’s as the Rams DE came in for the block. Williams was shaking his hand after the play, but he was able to return to the game for Chicago’s next drive. He led the Bears to a TD to tie the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.