Bears QB Caleb Williams misses out on winning his second ESPY award but the nominated moment is one no one will ever forget
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was nominated for the “Best Play” award at the 2026 ESPYs but lost out against a play made by New York Knicks star OG Anunoby in the NBA Finals.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams just missed out on adding a second ESPY award to his trophy case on Wednesday night during the 2026 award show.
Williams previously won the ESPY for Best Male College Athlete in 2023 and was nominated for his second award under the “Best Play” category, and he was against some tough competition.
Ultimately, the award went to New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby for the game-winning putback he scored against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to complete the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. I’d say it was deserved.
At the same time, no one will ever forget the play that Williams made to earn this nomination in the first place, and you’re probably still wondering “what play is he actually talking about?”
The play that earned Williams an opportunity was his 14-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round, a play that doesn’t get near enough credit on the score sheet.
Williams’ pass actually traveled 51.2 yards in the air after running way back before heaving the ball to tight end Cole Kmet with 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. That play had a probability of 17.8 percent and was one of the most insane plays you’ll ever see.
“Felt like a pretty easy pitch and catch,” Kmet jokingly said. “It kind of felt like it was in slow motion. I can’t believe Caleb — again, just the nutty throws he can make.”
Caleb Williams’ touchdown against the Rams will be something no one will ever forget
That improbable touchdown allowed the Bears to force overtime against the Rams, and had Chicago won that game, Williams might have taken home the ESPY over Anunoby. Regardless, it’s a play no one will ever forget and one people still can’t get over.
“He launches the freaking NFL Blitz jump throw for a touchdown, I was like ‘What the hell is this?’” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said recently on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long. “Every snow game is a little bit different, they’re all different, they’re a lot of fun to play in, except when you’re playing Caleb Williams and he sprints back to the 50 and launches the freaking NFL Blitz jump throw for a touchdown. . .
I think he’s just like with the ball in his hand, it’s as scary as anybody for sure. You don’t know what’s going to happen. He was running back to the 50 and I was in my head thinking ‘Oh, sweet. All right here we go, what are we doing here?’ Then he launches it and I was like ‘Oh that looks good’ and then they caught. But then you have to move on quickly.”
It was an unbelievable play in the moment and still just as unbelievable when you watch it back. For those who were lucky enough to experience it live and in person, it’s a moment that will stick with them forever.
“That touchdown, that’s just him, and that’s naturally him, and that is phenomenal,” Bears QB Case Keenum explained. “It’s unbelievable. It is. I mean, truly, my kids were at this game, and they’ll be able to tell people they saw that play.”