Caleb Williams, the quarterback for the Chicago Bears, alternated during his first month in the NFL between displaying fleeting moments that made him the Heisman Trophy winner and the first overall choice and a rookie adjusting to the harsh NFL learning curve.
In Sunday’s 36-10 victory over Carolina, Williams, just five weeks into his career, had his finest and most comprehensive performance.
There are some warnings. The Panthers are a miserable 1-4, and their pass defense is still among the worst in the NFL. However, in September, Chicago hardly appeared to be a serious contender either, which helped to contextualize the success of Williams’ composed effort on Sunday. Williams completed 20 of his 29 throws for 296 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Despite being often sacked and unable to rely on his ground game, which averaged 3.5 yards per carry, the second-worst in the NFL, Williams completed 61% of his throws in his first four games.
That average did not change much against the Panthers, but it did create opportunities for Williams to throw in play-action passes as Carolina had to take into consideration D’Andre Swift’s early success as a receiver out of the backfield in addition to his running ability.
Williams completed only 48% of his throws in his NFL debut, then was sacked seven times and threw two interceptions in his second game. Since then, he has shown some consistency in three games, totaling five touchdowns versus two interceptions and a 67% completion percentage.
A year and a half has passed since the game on Sunday. Since Carolina traded with Chicago in March 2023 to advance in the draft and pick Bryce Young first overall, the fates of the Bears and the Panthers are entwined.
Chicago received a 2024 first-round pick, which turned out to be No. 1, among other assets in the exchange. Williams was drafted with this pick. (In the commerce as well? D.J. Moore, a receiver, caught five receptions for 105 yards, two of which were touchdown passes from Williams.
However, Williams was the only focus of attention when Young was benched in favor of Andy Dalton until the very end of Sunday’s crushing defeat, rather than on a matchup between the two No. 1 choices from previous years. And with good cause.
