Like most rookies, Caleb Williams needed some time to get on track. He wasn’t much of a factor in the season opener against Tennessee and endured a beating against Houston in week two. However, the #1 overall pick started punching back around the time of the game in Indianapolis. He finished with 363 yards passing and two touchdowns, only marred by three turnovers. Since then, he has had three touchdown passes, no turnovers, and back-to-back wins at home against NFC opponents.
The Chicago Bears are a perfect 3-0 at home this season, and their rookie quarterback has played a central role in most of that streak. According to the NFL Research Department, Williams is only the fourth quarterback since 1950 to accomplish this feat. The other three were Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson, and Tua Tagovailoa. That is pretty interesting company. Ryan and Wilson went on to have Hall of Fame-caliber careers. Tagovailoa went to the Pro Bowl last year. Maybe it is a great sign of what the future holds.
Caleb Williams is learning how to play like a pro.
People haven’t quite grasped that yet. Jayden Daniels has been phenomenal in Washington. However, they’ve accomplished that by running an offense highly similar to the one he had at LSU. Chicago chose to push Williams more towards a traditional offense with lots of plays that feature second and third reads. They feel it is in his best interest to learn this for the long term. The best quarterbacks have always been able to do it. Based on the latest evidence, he is mastering it quickly.
The biggest key for Caleb Williams was always whether he could learn to play from the pocket. Everybody knew he had special qualities as a scrambler and improviser. To become truly special, he needed to show he could beat defenses by distributing the ball on classic drop-backs, trusting his protection, and finding the open man. His idols, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford have done that brilliantly for many years. Now, he is starting to do the same.
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Caleb’s improved play and fuller development make all his teammates play harder and better, as they move from hope to expectation.
Barry that’s 5 tds and 5 turnovers…. you forgot the fumble
Sidebar: I would pay one hundred dollars to hear Lambert explain what a “traditional offense” is, and why Daniels’ success thus far in Washington doesn’t count. Through five games, Daniels has accounted for 1435 yards of offensive production, eight TDs, and two turnovers. Caleb has accounted for a bit over 1200 yards of production (20% less than Daniels), five TDs, and four turnovers. I don’t hear anyone out there arguing that WASH has better players at the skill positions than CHI does. I’m quite uninterested in comparing the two rookies, but I didn’t write the article. It’s just incredibly insulting… Read more »
Hello to everyone. Team wins are not a quarterback statistic. If they were, then Anthony Richardson would be a better QB prospect than Caleb Williams, and Kyle Orton and Mac Jones would have had better rookie seasons than CJ Stroud did.
Hope this helps.
This headline and statistic is such nonsense. As others have stated, most of this wasn’t accomplished by him for the most part. Tell me he started out 3-0 against Road teens and I would be more impressed but even then it would be sfw. Let’s just watch and realize he is showing great Improvement week in and week out even while being in duress much of the time and quit cherry-picking the details.