After the Chicago Bears’ loss to the Detroit Lions, which was marred by a questionable clock management blunder late in the game, quarterback Caleb Williams or his recently fired head coach, Matt Eberflus, failed to adequately explain what went wrong.

The clock mismanagement ultimately thwarted their chances of completing a comeback in the second half.

In the third quarter, Williams took a low hit from Lions linebacker Jack Campbell near the sideline after a run.

The hit appeared to be severe, as seen in the replay, and Williams seemed to be affected for the remainder of the game. However, after being evaluated in the medical tent, he did not miss a snap.

It’s important to note that once Williams took off as a runner, the protections afforded to him as a quarterback no longer applied.

By rule, Campbell was well within his rights to make a legal hit, and while it may have been a bit jarring, he was acting as he would against any ball carrier. Quarterbacks who turn into runners often aren’t fond of being hit like a running back, but it’s not an uncommon scenario.

Following the game, when Williams was questioned about the play, he struggled to explain what went wrong at the end of the game and whether he thought Campbell’s hit was dirty.

Initially, Williams deflected the question, focusing on his knee, which he said was fine. “Yeah, I — that play was funky,” he said.

“Just put it that way. I don’t really — you know, I didn’t really appreciate the play. He just kind of dove straight at my knee. So I didn’t really get that.

Definitely kind of frustrated about that one, just ‘cause you know, whatever. Yeah, knee’s good. Nothing wrong with it.

Think I just got a bruise. But the play was — the play was funky.”

While it’s true that the play was odd, Williams’ claim that Campbell “dove straight at my knee” doesn’t seem entirely accurate.

It looked more like Campbell was making an effort to adjust and avoid a direct shot to Williams’ knee.

Some fans have labeled the hit as dirty, but others argue that Campbell’s contact was more of a legal hit to the upper thigh or hip.

It’s also worth noting that Williams could have avoided the hit by either staying in bounds longer or sliding sooner.

The consensus among many observers, including some former and current players, is that Williams could have played the situation smarter.

Instead of slowing up to try to juke Campbell, he could have kept running out of bounds.

Had he done so, the Bears would have gained extra yardage and possibly avoided the hit altogether. Campbell’s tackle was clean, and Williams’ knee twisted awkwardly as a result of the contact, though it didn’t appear to be a serious injury.

In the aftermath, Williams chose to address the play in vague terms, hinting that he didn’t appreciate how Campbell tackled him.

However, rather than coming out and outright calling the hit dirty, Williams opted for a softer critique, suggesting that Campbell’s actions were “funky” without directly condemning them.

It seemed like a weak attempt to challenge Campbell, almost as if he was protesting being hit in a situation where the rules of the game allowed it.