Less than a month ago, the ending to the Chicago Bears’ 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions sparked unprecedented change within Halas Hall with the firing of coach Matt Eberflus.
On Sunday, the Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams get a rematch with the Lions at Soldier Field, with interim coach Thomas Brown and the team still in search of their first win since Oct. 13.
As the Bears try to formulate a plan against the division co-leaders that will put an end to their eight-game losing streak, here’s a look at what’s ahead in The Caleb Williams File.
The buzz
As the losses continue to pile up in his chaotic rookie season, Williams frequently has been asked to give updates on his mental state. He has, after all, gone through midseason coach and offensive coordinator changes, endured eight straight losses and taken a league-leading 58 sacks.
He admitted Wednesday, two days after the 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, that “losing is one of those things that really affects me.” But he is trying to keep proper perspective.
“It’s tough, but I do have the understanding of where I’m at in my career and where I’ll be at,” Williams said. “Internally, when tough times happen, just human nature is to do the opposite of what you’ve been doing. The toughest part is fighting yourself, especially when there’s tough times.
“Also understanding the position that I’m in, there’s a lot of growth. There’s also a lot of progress throughout the season that has happened, through training camp and all that. Having all that in mind, there’s a lot to be optimistic and positive about. Because I’m not my best self yet, and that’s soon to come. I’m working toward that every day.”
Williams said he tries to use positive affirmations to help himself stay focused and confident during the rough patches.
“This is going to sound crazy, but you talk to yourself, to be honest,” Williams said. “You motivate yourself, you encourage yourself. … I tell myself certain things: ‘I am great. I will be great.’ That’s one of the biggest things is not pulling yourself down and being gracious with yourself.”
Spotlight play
Brown called the play “one opportunity we wish we had back.”
It was first-and-10 from the Vikings 28-yard line, and Brown thought the Bears had a really good play call for the coverage. Wide receiver Rome Odunze occupied a safety in the middle of the field, and wide receiver Keenan Allen blew by his defender and was open down the left sideline heading toward the end zone.
Williams, however, overthrew Allen, missing a sure touchdown.
Three plays later, D’Andre Swift’s 1-yard touchdown was nullified on Doug Kramer’s illegal substitution, and the Bears eventually settled for a field goal.
“There was a little pressure on the left side, so he had to kind of rush up in the pocket,” Brown said of Williams’ miss to Allen. “But taking more of a subtle pocket movement (would have helped). Work up in the pocket as well, get his feet set, get a shot to the end zone.”
Williams said he “carried a little bit too much momentum into the pocket movement.” He didn’t want to drive the ball because he was afraid cornerback Byron Murphy would undercut the pass, but then the ball carried more than he wanted.
Williams said it has been “frustrating” missing on such passes this season, but he thinks his accuracy can be improved with more work on fundamentals and footwork. That’s something he believes will come with more practice reps.
“When you’re getting live bullets, you’re not thinking so much about those small things, you’re thinking about a lot bigger things like pressures or coverages or the play and the routes and stuff like that,” he said. “I think it just comes down to the reps and footwork and fundamentals and just being in rhythm.”
Up next
It’s easy to forget all that happened in the first Bears-Lions game before Eberflus let the clock run out despite having a timeout that could have helped Williams on his final play.
That was the first of three straight games the Bears went scoreless in the first half, and they totaled just 53 yards before halftime. But they adjusted to score 20 second-half points to pull within reach of the Lions.
Brown had a simple diagnosis of what the Bears needed to do better in that first half: “Don’t commit penalties and get open versus man to man. That’ll solve the problem.”
Said Williams: “In the first Detroit game, they started manning us up a little bit. Throwing accurate passes, pass protection, running the ball well, winning on man routes, I think that’s what started to click in the second half of that last Detroit game.”
The offense’s first-half struggles have been a topic of conversation nearly all season, and those continued Monday against the Vikings, when they were scoreless and totaled 106 yards in the half.
Williams said he believes the solution to executing better early comes in “respecting the game.”
“Each play needs all 11 players on the field, the coaches before the play,” he said. “So just respecting the game, understanding that and then just going out there and being violent and executing the details that were given to us.”
Big number
14: Yards tight end Cole Kmet has on one catch and one target over the last two games.
The lack of connections between Williams and Kmet in two blowout losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Vikings has been glaring. It’s not the first time this season questions have come up about why Kmet is being underutilized. He went through a two-game, one-target stretch earlier against the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals.
“I try to design plays to get him the ball,” Brown said. “But also we need to understand the guys we have on the field, how you distribute the football and also what the defense does to you that kind of dictates where the ball does go at times. And obviously I want everybody to have as many touches as possible. But there is one ball and a bunch of talented guys, so it’s more about the flow of the game plan and also what the opponent does to us as well.”
Final word
Williams said he is trying to stay in the moment as he finishes out the final three games of his rookie season.
But he also has been keeping an eye on the future by writing notes about things he wants to improve or topics he wants to research in the offseason. He started the notes midseason and said he has five to eight things he wants to go over when he has more time.
“Whether it’s routes, whether it’s defenses, whether it’s fronts and protections,” he said. “Or just things that I don’t know that I want to research more and learn about more.
“I understand that I’ve got to grow and progress to be able to help the Chicago Bears to grow and reach our goals and my goals — which is winning games, winning big games.”
