The Chicago Bears badly need a victory this week before a demanding NFC North stretch begins.
The Bears will be treated Sunday with a visit to Soldier Field from the 2-7 New England Patriots, who are in their own state of disarray and coming off a 20-17 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans. That was their seventh loss in eight games.
In short, this is a “should win” opportunity for a favored Bears team (4-4) that needs to re-create some positive vibes. The offense, in particular, needs to pick itself back up after two uninspired and unproductive efforts in losses to the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals.
Here’s a look at the state of the offense and its rookie quarterback in the Week 10 entry of “The Caleb Williams File.”
The buzz
In eight starts, Williams has taken 29 sacks, including six last week in Arizona. That came behind a depleted offensive line that started the day without left tackle Braxton Jones and lost right tackle Darnell Wright to a knee injury in the second half.
Both players missed practice Wednesday at Halas Hall, which threatens to create more flux up front — and a potential ripple effect on Williams’ comfort.
Williams has been sacked an average of five times in the Bears’ four losses while taking only nine total sacks in the four wins. Make of that what you will.
It didn’t help last week that the Bears trailed by at least two scores for the entire second half, putting them in “must pass” mode against an Arizona defense that turned up the heat on the rookie quarterback — all the way through the final play.
There is heightened emphasis at Halas Hall on making the protection of Williams an all-hands-on-deck effort.
“You can’t put it on one group,” coach Matt Eberflus said, noting the responsibilities of the line to create a firm pocket, the receivers to retain route discipline, the backs to better understand their protection duties and Williams to maintain the timing and rhythm of everything.
Williams also pointed the thumb Wednesday, acknowledging his need for growth in setting the protection properly while vowing to manage the game better.
“I have to do better at certain times of getting the ball out and understanding the situation,” he said. “There may be a third down and those are times where you may hold the ball longer. But if there’s something underneath that can get us a first down — instead of trying to hit one of the outs or the bench routes or the dagger routes — you take the check down. Give it to one of your guys in space and let him go to work. I can do a better job with that.”
Spotlight play
With 9:14 to play in the second quarter, on third-and-10 at the Cardinals 35-yard line, Williams eyed a one-on-one opportunity with top receiver DJ Moore against cornerback Max Melton. At the top of his drop, Williams set inside a clean pocket and fired a back-shoulder ball to Moore just beyond the line to gain.
Only problem? Moore had stutter-stepped to gain an outside release on Melton and was breaking vertically.
The result was a sloppy incompletion.
Tracking Caleb Williams: How the Chicago Bears QB is performing in his rookie season
That was one of 11 failed third-down tries by the Bears offense in 14 attempts. It was also another example of the disconnect between Williams and Moore. They combined for just four completions and 33 yards on nine targets and have had repeated difficulty staying on the same page at key moments.
“It comes down to talking and communicating more,” Williams said.
Williams also cited a deep ball he threw to Moore during the two-minute drill late in the first half. With Moore again isolated against Melton, Williams adjusted the play at the line of scrimmage and took his shot. But his pass sailed a bit too far and wide, landing a yard out of bounds.
“I tried to throw him a perfect ball,” Williams said. “Instead, give your seventh-year guy a shot at making a catch.”
For the Bears offense to get things turned around, it will need the Williams-Moore connection to click.
“Obviously it’s not in the place where we would like it,” Williams said. “For both of us, it’s frustrating. Because you’ve got a guy who’s so special. And not being able to connect and hit on certain passes is frustrating for myself. And I know it’s frustrating for him.”
Up next
We’ll dive into the quarterback matchup in a minute. But let’s start with the shaky Patriots defense that ranks 25th in yards allowed (361.4 per game) and 28th in sack rate.
Perhaps even better for the Bears is that New England has been particularly vulnerable defending the run. Over the last five games, the Patriots have allowed 167 rushing yards per game and 4.8 yards per rush. That should provide an open door for the Bears to reestablish their running game and stay committed to it, something Eberflus has made a top priority this week.
Get D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson going, and suddenly the play-action concepts, movements and screen game all become more productive.
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a first-round pick who was on the Bears radar heading into the 2023 draft, is the headliner of a Patriots defense that otherwise lacks star power.
The Bears should be able to create favorable matchups without much extra effort. The key will be capitalizing.
Big number: 3
Points scored by the Bears offense on its opening possessions this season.
In eight games, the Bears have only one first-series scoring drive: an 11-play, 42-yard field-goal march in Week 2 in Houston. They have punted on their last five opening drives and are averaging 16 net yards per opening possession for the season.
The Bears also rank 31st in the NFL in first-quarter points (10). Only the Philadelphia Eagles (seven) have been worse.
Final word
For the second time in three weeks, Williams will be a part of a spotlight matchup against a fellow rookie quarterback. This time it’s a clash with Drake Maye, whom the Patriots selected with the third pick in April.
Williams and Maye have known each other since the summer of 2020, when, as high schoolers, they were fellow participants at the Elite 11 quarterback camp in Nashville, Tenn. They stayed in contact through their three seasons of college.
“We were friends and I enjoyed watching him do his thing,” Maye told reporters this week. “Now we get a chance to compete.”
Maye made his first career start in Week 5 and has completed 66% of his passes this season for 770 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also a dangerous scrambler, able to threaten defenses with both his running ability and his knack for extending plays.
Maye had a career-high 95 rushing yards last week against the Titans, and his 5-yard, off-script TD strike to running back Rhamondre Stevenson on the final play of regulation forced overtime.
But Maye also threw a game-ending interception and should be tested by a strong Bears defense.
Williams described Maye as a “good dude, country guy and a competitor.”
“His game is exactly what y’all saw in college,” Williams said. “He’s explosive. He’s accurate. He’s a tall, strong figure back there in the pocket. He makes plays for his team.”
The key for Williams, of course, will be making more plays for his team.
