Caleb Williams had built considerable momentum since returning from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for three games. Before Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he threw for 860 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.

Williams looked set for another impressive performance after helping Chicago establish an early 14-0 lead. But things quickly went sideways as the young quarterback threw four interceptions, nearly giving the Buccaneers a chance to steal the game.

Chicago still managed to escape with a win and improve to 7-2, but it was a rough outing for Williams. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho, however, saw a bigger takeaway from the performance.

Emmanuel Acho Explains Why Caleb Williams’ 4-Interception Game Isn’t a Concern

Before Sunday, Williams had never thrown more than two interceptions in a regular-season game. He also became just the third Bears quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw four interceptions in a win. Todd Collins did it in 2010, while Rex Grossman had a similar performance in 2006.

Despite the mistakes, Acho viewed the win as a sign of Chicago’s resilience. He argued that the best teams have to find ways to win when their offense struggles, and the Bears managed to do exactly that against Tampa Bay.

“This win by the Bears was the most significant, most meaningful, and I would suggest most impactful they’ve had all season because this was a playoff win,” Acho said. “Playoff wins are when things get ugly, when things don’t go right, when your offense isn’t as good as expected. You need somebody else to bail you out, and that’s what the Chicago Bears did today.”

Acho then pointed out that Williams had played the worst game of his career, yet the Bears still came away with a win. He saw that as a sign of how well the team can respond when things don’t go their way.

“We know the Bears have a really good offense. We know Caleb Williams is not going to throw four interceptions in a game. He hasn’t done so ever in his career, including high school. But how good are you at your worst? And at the Bears’ worst, they were still good enough to beat an NFL team. This is Caleb Williams’ worst… Career worst, and you’re still good enough to beat an NFL team,” the former linebacker argued.

Williams’ four interceptions nearly cost the Bears the game, but he came through when they needed him most. With the score tied at 24 and 2:51 remaining, he led an eight-play, 49-yard drive to set up the winning field goal.

The key play came when Williams connected with Colston Loveland for 38 yards, putting Chicago in range for Cairo Santos’ game-winning kick from the same distance.

Williams acknowledged his mistakes after the game, but Acho wasn’t concerned about what the performance might mean going forward. He viewed the win as a major moment for both the quarterback and head coach Ben Johnson.

“This was the most significant win that Caleb Williams has ever had in his NFL career,” Acho added. “This is the most significant win that Ben Johnson has ever had as an NFL head coach. Not because offensively it was the most glamorous, not because everything went right. Because how good are you when [expletive] goes wrong?”

“Caleb had a bad game. Not a bad sign. Simply a bad game. Probably won’t happen again. But the fact that they still won, even in the midst of this atrocious performance statistically by Caleb Williams, is more significant than all the other dubs,” Acho continued.

Williams finished the game 22 of 37 for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He currently ranks No. 7 in PFN’s QB Impact Score with a grade of 81.9 through nine weeks.

He will have a chance to put Sunday’s performance behind him in Week 11, when the Bears return to Soldier Field to host the New Orleans Saints.