Coming off a clunky performance in his NFL debut, Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams at least had football’s greatest pain reliever at his disposal: a victory.
Despite totaling only 148 yards of offense and failing to score an offensive touchdown Sunday, the Bears somehow left Soldier Field with a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans and welcomed the good vibes that came with it.
“I felt super excited,” Williams said Wednesday, “not necessarily about how I actually performed but being able to come out with that win. And being able to help lead these guys to that win, it feels good.
“I’m really excited. It builds confidence when you can come out and do that.”
Next up is Sunday’s prime-time clash with the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, a test the Bears likely won’t pass if they don’t show marked offensive improvement. Williams will have to be sharper to enliven a passing attack that averaged a meager 2.1 yards per play in Week 1.
To set the stage for this week’s game, here’s the latest submission to the Caleb Williams File.
The buzz
Williams went through practice Wednesday without two of his top three receivers. Rome Odunze is day to day with a sprained knee, and Keenan Allen continues to be hindered by a heel issue.
That leaves Williams to attack his Week 2 cleanup efforts with a bit of a reshuffled receiving corps. DJ Moore remains the headliner, but Tyler Scott and, to a lesser extent, DeAndre Carter could be pushed into heightened roles against the Texans if Allen and Odunze are out or limited.
Retaining an intense focus on every small detail during the practice week will prove critical as Williams works to stay on the same page with his pass catchers.
“If there are things that are wrong, it’s making sure we’re not being passive and that we’re front-facing and correcting the small things that may affect us in games,” Williams said. “Whether that’s route depth or it’s how I throw it, it’s just me adjusting to those guys.
“Obviously there’s going to be a difference because Tyler is not Keenan. But Tyler is Tyler and Keenan’s Keenan. So it’s just adjusting to that.”
Added Scott: “Even in walk-throughs, you treat those as game reps and you stay fully on top of those little things. It’s about talking to Caleb and making sure we see eye to eye on everything.”
Spotlight play
To Williams’ credit, he was turnover-free in the opener. And with Titans counterpart Will Levis committing three costly turnovers, including a decisive fourth-quarter pick-six, Bears coaches had hard-copy evidence to reinforce their messaging on the importance of ball security.
That said, Williams’ Week 1 performance registered as shaky overall. He acknowledged he missed a handful of throws he’s used to connecting on while also at times exhibiting rushed footwork on his drops.
Perhaps no play exemplified the sloppiness for Williams and the offense more than a third-and-2 early in the fourth quarter with the Bears trailing 17-10.
The Bears had a bubble screen dialed up for Moore to the left side of the field with Travis Homer and Gerald Everett taking care of their blocking assignments. But Williams mishandled Coleman Shelton’s shotgun snap and fumbled. Just like that, the play was busted before it ever began.
Williams collected the football quickly and tried to whip up some chicken salad with an extended-play deep shot to Allen. But that bomb sailed well out of the end zone, and rather than continuing a potential game-tying drive, the Bears settled for a 50-yard Cairo Santos field goal.
Such unforced and careless errors will take on greater significance as the Bears step up in class, starting Sunday in Houston.
Up next
While Williams’ longest completion in Week 1 was a 13-yard slant to Moore, the Texans defense surrendered three completions of at least 50 yards in their opening win over the Indianapolis Colts. That included Anthony Richardson touchdown passes to Alec Pierce (60 yards) and Ashton Dulin (54).
The Colts scored touchdowns on their final three possessions, offering hope to the Bears that there will be opportunities to find explosive plays.
That will require steady pass protection, particularly as it relates to slowing Texans edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.
Bears fans are no stranger to the big-play capabilities of Hunter, who spent his first nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and recorded 7½ of his 87½ career sacks against the Bears. Anderson, meanwhile, had seven sacks last season on his way to Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
“All the good rushers in this league have God-given ability, and both those guys have that,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “They each have their own way of rushing, but what they both have is a great motor and they have great power at the top of their rush.”
The big number: 64
Net passing yards by the Bears in Week 1, their lowest total in a victory since posting 29 passing yards in a 23-6 defeat of the Carolina Panthers in Week 5 of 2010.
Since the start of the 2004 season, the Bears have played 28 games in which they totaled fewer than 100 net passing yards and, amazingly, have a 12-16 record. For comparison, over the same time period, the Green Bay Packers are 2-5 when totaling fewer than 100 net passing yards, the Detroit Lions are 4-9-1 and the Vikings are 7-8.
Williams’ predecessor, Justin Fields, won only one of his six starts in which the team was held to fewer than 100 net passing yards: a 23-20 defeat of the Texans in Week 3 of 2022.
Final word
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud celebrates after a touchdown against the Browns during an AFC wild-card game Jan. 13, 2024, in Houston. (Eric Christian Smith/AP)
A “Sunday Night Football” audience will be treated to a showdown between two of the league’s most promising young quarterbacks when Williams meets last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud.
Stroud, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft, threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with only five interceptions as a rookie. He also was the engine in turning a Texans team that went 3-14 the season before his arrival into a 10-win division champion that went on to throttle the Cleveland Browns in the opening round of the AFC playoffs.
So what went into the formula that catalyzed Stroud’s rapid emergence?
“He was coached well to stay in the pocket,” Eberflus said. “He naturally keeps his eyes down the field and doesn’t look at the rush — which happens to a lot of young quarterbacks. And he has a lot of skill around him.”
At the NFL combine in February, Texans coach Demeco Ryans praised Stroud for not only his accuracy, but also his calming presence as a rookie.
“At the quarterback position, when you have a very calm demeanor and your teammates see that, it becomes a calm confidence that exudes throughout your entire locker room,” Ryans said. “That’s what C.J. has and it’s one of the skills that allowed him to have one of the best rookie seasons for a quarterback in our league’s history.”
Ryans also takes pride in the resources the Texans put around Stroud to foster his development, lauding a 2023 support structure that included veteran backup Case Keenum, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik Jr., quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson and senior offensive assistants Shane Day and Bill Lazor.
“If there were any questions or any things he may want to ask, he could lean on guys who have been there and done that and seen that before,” Ryans said. “There was not a guy around him who he couldn’t ask or he couldn’t rely on who could give him answers and share with him their experiences of how they have watched other quarterbacks succeed in this league.”
Those are things to file away as the Bears do their own work to nurture Williams and guide him to similar success in his first season.
