The Bears may have lost on Sunday, but in some ways, they might have actually won. Not in the traditional sense of winning the game, but perhaps in the bigger picture of building for the future. Let me explain what I mean.
Caleb Williams, the Bears’ rookie quarterback, faced off against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, whose defense is widely regarded as one of the best in the NFL. Despite the tough matchup, Williams put up a strong performance, nearly leading the Bears to victory. He completed 32 of 47 passes for 340 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 33 rushing yards on 6 attempts. His passer rating was 103.1, which is the third-highest rating allowed by the Vikings’ defense all season. Keep in mind, this is a rookie quarterback we’re talking about.
To put his performance in context, quarterbacks facing the Vikings defense this season have averaged a passer rating of just 79.4. Here’s a quick look at how other QBs have fared:
Daniel Jones – 44.3
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Brock Purdy – 101.3
C.J. Stroud – 68.6
Jordan Love – 83.0
Aaron Rodgers – 54.9
Jared Goff – 140.0
Matthew Stafford – 124.5
Joe Flacco – 63.7
Mac Jones – 38.3
Will Levis – 84.7
Caleb Williams – 103.1
Another impressive stat for Caleb Williams is his performance against the blitz over the last two weeks. According to PFF, here’s how he’s stacked up:
- 86.2% adjusted completion rate
- 276 passing yards
- 0 turnover-worthy plays
- 4 big-time throws
These numbers highlight his poise and efficiency under pressure which again, is rare for a rookie signal caller.
Caleb is an anomaly.
As you can see, Williams’ performance stands out. NFL analyst Steven Ruiz from The Ringer mentioned that there are two tiers of franchise quarterbacks in today’s NFL, and the dividing line is how much respect defensive coordinators like Brian Flores give you. Flores, the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, is known for his challenging schemes, blitzes, etc, and Williams passed the test with flying colors according to Ruiz and many other NFL analysts. That’s high praise, and it shows that Williams is already proving himself as a future star.
It was never going to be linear with Caleb Willliams.
While every rookie season comes with ups and downs, the OC coaching change for the Bears could be a turning point for Williams. OC Thomas Brown has been working wonders with him these past couple of weeks. Here’s Caleb Williams on the impact Thomas Brown has had since he became the offensive coordinator.
“He has a certain aura to him that allows you to play free.”
Caleb also mentioned that Thomas Brown told him to “go be Superman” before the game—and it’s safe to say he definitely did.
All of this makes you wonder how much of an impact Shane Waldron’s coaching really had before the change. Either way, Williams is showing that he’s more than capable of handling the big tests of the NFL, and that bodes well for the Bears’ future moving forward.
@KA so you believe that the head coach did not want the QB to throw deep balls to Rome Odunze? Am I hearing this correctly?
What evidence do you have of this? I am curious because I really do not believe it.
The Bear Offense hasn’t really scored enough points this year.
To me, it looked like before Brown took over that Caleb was playing with an ultimatum put on him by Fluss and Waldron – don’t turn the ball over PERIOD!! So he didn’t. He rarely put it into any kind of jeopardy while not making any plays after the Bye week. That’s not healthy. You don’t want the QB turning the ball over, but you can’t make him scared to turn it over either. It’s a fine balance that the QB gurus understand that the worst might happen in a kids rookie year. He might turn the ball over a… Read more »
CW is amazing but not because of what he’s accomplished on the field. Since being drafted he’s had this chain of complete idiots above him. He’s actually managed to clear the first hurdle named Waldron and it seems like he’s even starting to clear the Poles hurdle. How good would he be if he had a real OC from day one or played behind an offensive line that was stronger than toilet paper? Just managing to stay healthy this far into season with this OL is almost a miracle. Being able to move the team up and down the field… Read more »
I like Caleb. I wasn’t on board with drafting him, mostly because I wanted capital spent on rebuilding the trenches. I knew Caleb was talented. I was concerned that he had it a little too easy in the PAC 12, running around throwing TD’s on broken plays + he blew it against his toughest opponent at ND with 3 INT’s. So I did not consider him an instant NFL caliber guy. But Caleb is growing on everyone, me included. Have I sufficiently complimented him now that I can criticize? We have a WR on this roster that was an absolute… Read more »