The Chicago Bears were 4-2 and feeling good about their 2024 season outlook after a big win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London leading into a bye week.

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A significant showdown with the Washington Commanders came next, with No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams on Chicago’s sideline and No. 2 selection Jayden Daniels on the other.

Williams persevered through some heavy defensive pressure, some miscues and some back luck before orchestrating a go-ahead touchdown drive that seemed to set up a big Bears win late in the fourth quarter.

We all know what happened next. Daniels completed a Hail Mary touchdown pass that eventually was shrouded in controversy.

Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was jawing with fans when the play started, and the receiver he was supposed to cover caught the ball.

That wasn’t the only sticking point. What then-coach Matt Eberflus said afterward also struck a nerve. He said the pre-Hail Mary play, which gave up 13 free yards that put Daniels in range of the end zone, had no impact on the final play.

Bears players took issue with the lack of accountability from their coach.

Williams acknowledged that fact in an interview with Esquire magazine, which was conducted in late February for an article released Tuesday. He discussed several topics from his rookie season and beyond, including that fateful Commanders game.

“How he handled it at that time, for that game, was, I think, one of the things that throughout the locker room people talked about and were annoyed by,” Williams said in the interview.

Williams said it was a turning point in the season. That’s true, considering the Bears lost 10 consecutive games from there. They let offensive coordinator Shane Waldron go a few weeks later. They fired Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving, following another late-game game meltdown in which he didn’t seem to take accountability for his part in Bears losses.

The Bears have hired Ben Johnson as coach since then, and Williams is thrilled by that development.

“I’m definitely excited,” he said. “Ben and I, we’ve been working on our relationship. I’ve asked him a boatload of questions. He’s probably already tired of me, but I think it’s going to be great. …

“The plan is to keep Ben and me together for a long, long time.”