If Sunday night was a preview of what January — or even February — football might look like, the Bears walked out of Levi’s Stadium knowing two truths at once: they can go toe-to-toe with the NFC’s elite, and they’ll feel the sting of this one for a while.

Chicago fell 42-38 in an instant classic to the 49ers, a nationally televised track meet that ended with the ball in Caleb Williams’ hands from the 2-yard line, one play for everything. It’s the scenario you dream up in backyards and driveways. It’s the exact moment the Bears wanted. The exact moment this franchise has spent decades waiting for.

And they came this close.

Before that final snap, Ben Johnson pulled a page from the deep cuts section of the playbook — a hook-and-ladder that saw Colston Loveland pitch the ball to D’Andre Swift, who was dragged down at the 2-yard line as Chicago bars ignited back home. The Bears raced to the line. Four seconds left. Spike. Everything on the final play.

Williams drifted left, hurdled a sack attempt, kept his eyes up, and kept the play alive as only he can. Then, with everything leaning back toward him, he let it rip — a late-window dart to Jahdae Walker that skipped inches short of a season-defining touchdown.

This was advertised as a potential NFC Championship preview, and it delivered all the chaos, brilliance, and quarterback wizardry you’d expect.

Brock Purdy continued his historic December surge, throwing for 303 yards and accounting for five total touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey piled up 181 scrimmage yards, scoring once and gashing Chicago in every conceivable way.

Caleb Williams, meanwhile, matched them step for step.

He threw for 330 yards, two touchdowns, and once again displayed the off-script mastery that has become his trademark. If the country still needed convincing that Williams belongs in the league’s top tier of young quarterbacks, he delivered that message loud and clear — even in defeat.

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