Caleb Williams Says Bears Not Focused on National Narratives After Statement Win Over Eagles

‘They’ll probably say whatever they have to say, but that really doesn’t faze us,' he said.

Caleb Williams (18) of the Chicago Bears is interviewed after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–28 at Soldier Field in Chicago, on Nov. 23, 2025. Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images

Even after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Bears still think the best is yet to come.

The Bears defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia, 24–15. The win thrusts the Bears into the national conversation, but quarterback Caleb Williams said after the win that he is only concerned about what goes on inside the Bears’ facility.

Williams was asked if Friday’s win was a statement.

“I think every single game that we want to play and that we play, it is to make a statement,” he said. “And that’s just another game for us. [We] focus on being 1–0 each week. And we keep doing that. We keep focusing on what’s inside of the building. ... We'll keep focusing on [finding] ways to win games, but also [finding] ways to better ourselves so we can be where we want to be.”

Although Williams appeared to be downplaying it, Friday’s win against the defending Super Bowl champs in their house was a statement for a young Bears team on the rise.

Despite being 8–3, the Bears’ first win against a competitive playoff team was their 31–28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. They started the season 0–2 with divisional losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions; then beat up on the Dallas Cowboys; won back-to-back games by scores of 25–24 against the struggling Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders. After a 26–14 win over the lowly New Orleans Saints, they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, won a barnburner against the Cincinnati Bengals, close games against the New York Giants and Vikings, then beat the Steelers before Friday’s win.

“We started off 0–2 and there was a lot of noise,” Williams said. “We go on this streak of winning, a lot of noise. And so we understand where we are. We understand who we are. We understand where we’re going to be as a team. And you focus on that. You focus on the betterment of the team as a group. And you come out with these wins week to week and you don’t let the noise, the outside noise, the negative moments shine too bright within us and within our group.”

Williams acknowledged that the win has important consequences for the NFC playoff race, but said the team does not worry about the circumstances, only about winning the game.

As of Friday, the Bears sit at the top of the NFC North and in second place in the conference, and half a game behind the Los Angeles Rams for 1st place. Their 9–3 record also secures the first winning season for the team since 2018, and just their seventh winning season in the 21st century.

The Bears will have a chance to lock up the division in the remaining weeks. The Green Bay Packers are half a game behind, but the Bears play them twice in the next three weeks. They also play the Cleveland Browns, then finish the season with a road game against the San Francisco 49ers before rematching with the Lions at home.

It was an ugly game for Williams personally. He went just 17 of 36 passing for 154 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, and was sacked twice. He was frustrated at times during the game, but said his frustration came from a desire to not waste possessions. Still, leaning on an explosive running game that churned out 281 yards and 2 scores proved to be a winning recipe.

William was optimistic that the offense would put it all together soon.

“We’ve got guys that really care, and so we can do something special for Chicago,” he said. “We haven’t hit our pinnacle yet in the sense of a team, and execution on offense, and we’re still winning these games, and so that’s really important, and that’s why I’m extremely excited. You go watch the film, and you see all these explosive plays, you see all these small details that show up that are awesome to learn from after the game, but in the moment, you want to ... hit on all cylinders. That’s coming, and we’re going to show our best ball here soon.”

With the sudden success, the media will certainly set higher expectations for the team. Williams said he is tuning them out in advance.

“They'll probably say whatever they have to say, but that really doesn’t faze us,” he said. “We have no expectation other than to go in, work hard, give our best effort on Sundays and every once in a while Friday, maybe ... and come out victorious. Other than that, the outside noise, everybody’s expectations, everybody’s thoughts, we [couldn’t] care less.”