The Bears were just a few completed passes away from securing their spot in the NFC title game during Sunday’s 20-17 divisional round loss to the Rams, but Caleb Williams threw an interception on Chicago’s sole possession in overtime that ended up sealing his team’s unfortunate fate.
Williams had just uncorked an all-time clutch touchdown throw to tie it in regulation, so it’s hard to pin much blame on him for how the end of the game played out. Instead, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel has another culprit in mind.
Daniel posted on his social media a detailed breakdown of Williams’s costly interception and interestingly laid most of the blame on one Bears star: wide receiver D.J. Moore.
“To be completely honest, No. 2 [Moore] up top, if this is the effort with the season on the line that you’re giving me, and everyone else is doing good stuff. ... That’s not the effort you want,” Daniel said, before breaking down the pivotal play.
“I’m gonna break this down: Caleb Williams has a really good pocket. A couple things I like about this one, you’re protecting the edges, you’re giving your guy a chance to make the play.
“... This job right here by D.J. Moore, your job is a deep cross. You should be over here on the hash, 18 to 22 yards. ... Look at the effort that D.J. Moore puts, first of all the angle is awful, you’re going this way when you should be coming this way. There’s a huge area of space over there, and if you can run to that area—you’re primary, this is where it needs to go.
“And there comes D.J. Moore, he’s just jogging right there. To me, he’s just jogging. Caleb Williams expects him to be 22 yards on the numbers, he doesn’t cross face, he doesn’t do anything. ... Just the effort is not there. Like, you should be coming downhill to the ball. I just can’t believe this.”
You can’t blame Caleb Williams for the INT in OT….. the Bears have the absolute perfect play called
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) January 19, 2026
The lack of effort by #2 is really telling….you can’t give up on this route like this. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/E584tOmEQR
Here’s another good angle of Moore’s route on the interception:
This angle of the Caleb interception shows what happened.
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) January 19, 2026
D.J. Is a baller but this isn’t a good play for him.
He’s not running full speed and EVERY WR and TE know you have to flatten the route as much as possible to stay inside the safety. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/zURGsB2CWO
It did look like there was oodles of space where Moore was supposed to run and catch the ball, but Williams himself chalked it up as a “miscommunication” between the two of them during his postgame press conference.
“Had D.J. going over the top over all of it. Just a miscommunication between him and I,” Williams said. “Tried to flatten him off under the safety and he kept it vertical, from what I saw in the moment.”
Ultimately, Williams threw the ball underneath into the waiting hands of Rams safety Kam Curl, and the Rams drove down the field on their ensuing possession to score the game-winning field goal. You’d have to imagine Williams and Moore will have talked this play out after the loss given its dire consequences. Better luck next year for the Bears, who still have plenty to be proud of this season after topping their division and recording their first playoff win in 15 years.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former NFL QB Blames One Bears Star for Caleb Williams’s Brutal Interception in Loss.
