pixel
Bears News

The Bears continue to lose games in wild ways but Caleb Williams is a reason for hope for fans

1 week agoTony Andracki

CHICAGO — The most important development from yet another wild Bears loss was simple: Caleb Williams sure looks like the real deal.

The rookie quarterback had a stellar game against the Vikings — maybe his best as a pro.

He finished with a 103.1 passer rating, 340 yards and 2 touchdowns — his first 2 scores since the Bears’ win over the Jaguars in Week 6.

Williams completed 68.1% of his passes and also rushed for 33 yards.

[MORE: Caleb Williams received a powerful message from an unlikely source after Bears loss]

He has only 5 interceptions on the season and just 1 since September (which also came against the Jaguars in Week 6).

“[He showed] true grit,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. “Inspiring to the whole football team.”

Eberflus was complimentary of the way Williams handled the vaunted Vikings defense, praising the rookie for knowing when to change the speed of his throws, either adding arc on touch passes or firing bullets through traffic.

Entering the game, there was a lot of talk around the Vikings’ defensive style in which they confuse opposing quarterbacks with their deceptive pressure schemes.

Williams handled that well throughout the game, utilizing checks at the line of scrimmage to call different plays or identifying his hot routes on blitzes.

Over the past 2 weeks, he has been excellent against the blitz:

“Those are all things that are really good quarterbacking,” Eberflus said. “He’s growing in front of our eyes. Today was really good growth for him.”

Williams felt he was “decisive” Sunday and credits a lot of the recent surge in production to new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

“I really do think it’s just how he is that has helped,” Williams said of Brown. “His aura, I guess. He has a certain aura to him that allows you to play free. He knows what he wants and you know he knows what he wants.”

[WATCH: Coach Wannstedt saw Williams take another big step in Vikings game]

Williams delivered some “wow” plays on the afternoon. He fit several balls into tight windows with rockets that were mere centimeters beyond the outstretched hands of Vikings defenders.

He also had a spectacular play late in the 1st quarter where he scrambled to the right and found running back D’Andre Swift streaking down the sideline:

Then at the end of the game, he led the Bears on back-to-back touchdown drives to put them in a position to recover an onside kick.

[WATCH: Breaking down Williams’ incredible strike to D’Andre Swift]

When the Bears got the ball back, they had only 22 seconds on the clock and needed to gain 20 or so yards to get into kicker Cairo Santos’ range.

Williams stood strong in the pocket and rifled a ball into DJ Moore cutting across the middle of the field for a clutch 27-yard completion.

“He was fighting for us and fighting for the team,” rookie receiver Rome Odunze said of Williams. “That’s the type of player he is. When you have someone like that at the helm of the offense, he’s going to give you everything he’s got play in and play out.”

Williams got all 4 of his big-name receivers involved in the game. Odunze caught 5 balls for 39 yards while tight end Cole Kmet had 7 catches for 64 yards.

Keenan Allen (9 rec, 86 yds, TD) was Williams’ go-to guy, with 15 targets but star receiver DJ Moore also had a big game with 7 catches for 106 yards and a TD.

“His confidence is through the roof,” Moore said. “He’s understanding the gameplans through and through. To see him go out there and be able to play quarterback like he wants to, it’s amazing to see.”

Williams has earned the praise of opponents but he’s also garnered respect from within his own locker room.

“Proud of him,” veteran safety Kevin Byard said. “Back-to-back games, it feels like he’s played well. Credit to him. We all know he’s a phenomenal player. He’s a gamer. When we get in those late-game situations, the team has full belief in him to go out there and execute.”

At 4-7, this Bears season has lost any hope of ending in a playoff appearance, so Williams’ development serves as the most important storyline for this team down the stretch. It’s clear that he’s better, and showing the progress and special play you’d expect from a No. 1 overall draft pick.

Bair Mail

Please submit your question below for inclusion in Bair Mail, our weekly mailbag that runs each Wednesday, and the Bears on the Marquee podcast, that drops each Tuesday. Marquee Sports Network Bears Insider Scott Bair — with perfect last name for this job — will answer your questions and comments about everything Chicago Bears. Appreciate you joining the conversation!

Don’t Miss Out On The Action!

Sign up for the Marquee Sports Network Newsletter today for all the latest Cubs news, plus upcoming Marquee programming and much more!

Newsletter Signup
Consent *
Opt-in
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.