Chicago Bears fans don’t need to be reminded of the stakes on Monday Night Football against the Washington Commanders.

It’s a chance at redemption after last year’s gut-punch Hail Mary loss — the one that sent their promising season into a tailspin.

It’s an opportunity for Ben Johnson to prove he’s truly different. Extra prep coming off the bye week, a national stage, and a chance to break the curse of the Bears stumbling out of the bye — a win here would validate the hype and build trust inside Halas Hall and across the fanbase.

And then there’s Caleb Williams.

This is the moment he’s been waiting for. A chance to get his signature win in primetime — against Jayden Daniels, no less — the quarterback everyone’s been measuring him against since draft night. Despite Caleb’s growth and poise as a rookie, and the fact their numbers are far more comparable than the national discourse suggests… the narrative was written early: The Bears drafted the wrong guy.

A win — paired with an offensive statement — would be Caleb’s arrival moment. A chance to plant a flag and officially justify the No. 1 pick to the entire NFL world.

There was already pressure. But Drake Maye has been cranking it up even more.

Maye, taken third overall behind Williams and Daniels, has 1,522 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, two interceptions, and two more scores with his legs.

He out-dueled Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football for a signature victory of his own and followed it with a near-flawless performance against the Saints. Over his last three games, Maye has 737 passing yards, six total touchdowns, zero turnovers — the Patriots are 3-0 in that stretch and averaging 30 points per game. New England is 4-2 and suddenly looks playoff-bound. So much for a sophomore slump.

Maye’s success should be independent of Caleb’s journey. It should be — but we know how this works. Just like Daniels dragging Washington to the NFC Championship Game last year dominated the Caleb conversation, Maye’s rise only widens the spotlight.

Comparison is the thief of joy — and also the fuel of sports discourse.

If the Bears lose on Monday night, and Caleb struggles, the noise will explode. It won’t just be “Chicago took the wrong guy over Jayden Daniels.” It’ll be Drake Maye thrown into the mix too. The jokes will write themselves.

With a win? Caleb keeps the wolves at the door.

By record, this technically isn’t a “must-win.” The Bears could lose and still have a path to a winning record by Thanksgiving. But if this team really wants to flip the culture — like Kevin Byard talked about after the Raiders win — this feels like a must-have.

All eyes are on Caleb Williams. Let’s see what he does with the moment.