Coming off a 24-18 defeat of the Los Angeles Rams, the Chicago Bears have a real opportunity to create significant momentum heading into their Week 7 open date. The 1-3 Carolina Panthers come to Soldier Field on Sunday before the Bears travel to London to face the still-winless Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 13.
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams continues to make progress and should have a favorable matchup to keep his offense humming this weekend.
As the kickoff of Sunday’s game approaches, here’s our latest submission to The Caleb Williams File.
The buzz
A month into the season, Williams and DJ Moore are still working on their chemistry, fighting to, in their words, “get on the same page” when it comes to reading defenses in real-time and adapting accordingly. In unison.
The duo’s most glaring miss Sunday came late in the first half when Williams used an inside release to gain separation from Rams cornerback Cobie Durant. But what looked like a surefire 22-yard touchdown pass against a Cover 2 look instead resulted in a third-down incompletion when Williams threw a bullet to the inside of the field right as Moore slowed down and took his route back outside.
Both players took their turn describing that miscue Wednesday at Halas Hall.
Moore noted the rule he was abiding by against the Rams coverage.
“It’s a hole shot,” he said. “So I was thinking since (Durant) played outside, I had to go inside and wind back out and then assess where the safety was.”
Williams’ take?
“Reading it when I was dropping back, I saw DJ go inside and thought he was going to keep (his route) a little more vertical. He went back out. So (we were) just not on the same page. And I wouldn’t say it’s somebody’s fault. I think it’s just us not being on the same page.”
Immediately after that misfire, Williams found Moore on the Bears bench to iron out the miscommunication. The tension and frustration of that moment were real with both players recognizing they let a touchdown slip away.
Even on Wednesday, Moore seemed a touch miffed at the crossed wires.
“Now we’re going to go the Caleb way (on that look) and were going to get it right,” he said.
Through four games, Williams and Moore have connected 22 times for 189 yards with one touchdown. Moore currently ranks 11th in the NFL in receptions but 43rd in yards, a significant production dip after he totaled 1,364 yards on 96 catches last season within one of the league’s worst passing offenses.
For Moore to get fully unlocked again, the Bears will have to regularly capitalize on moments of opportunity like the one that arose late in Sunday’s first half.
The veteran has fought to retain perspective with Williams’ growth in the early parts of the season. “We were all rookies at one point,” Moore said Wednesday. “I know what he’s going through. You can’t be too frustrated. I mean, you can be frustrated with the way you’re playing as a player, but not at a young guy who’s still coming along.”
Williams, meanwhile, reiterated the efforts he’s making to get on the same page with his No. 1 receiver.
“It’s early in the season,” he said. “And we’re finding it, definitely — finding what works best for both of us.”
Spotlight play
Williams’ 22-yard dart down the middle to Cole Kmet on the Bears’ final touchdown drive Sunday may have been one of his most impressive throws of the season to date. With the Bears pushing to pad a two-point lead in the fourth quarter, the quarterback’s ability to stay in attack mode without putting the ball in harm’s way proved notable.
Williams was quick and efficient with his play-action fake and noted after the game how he recognized Rams linebacker Christian Rozeboom flat-footed as he tried to backpedal after an initial bite upward.
“There was a big void right there,” Williams said. “(I’m) reading the backer and the safeties being wide. (It’s) reading that and then Cole made an unbelievable catch.”
Added Kmet: “(It’s) a play you have to make. He made it.”
Kmet called the throw “a true NFL throw,” acknowledging that, for a rookie quarterback playing in just his fourth game, Williams’ ability to recognize what “NFL open” looks like combined with his willingness to make that throw and do so with high-level accuracy was extraordinary.
“It’s great,” Kmet said. “And I think he’s gotten better and better at that really since the start of training camp. He’s seeing things quicker now. He has always done a good job of diagnosing the defense. But I think at first it maybe took him a few extra seconds to really see what was happening. I think he’s seeing it a little bit quicker now and recognizing that stuff.”
Up next
Sure, the Bears offense is still working to establish its identity and pushing for greater balance. But matchups in the NFL rarely come much friendlier than this week’s. The Panthers have a bottom-five run defense, allowing an average of 148.8 yards per game. They also have done little to pressure opposing quarterbacks with a September sack total of five. That is better than just one other team — the Atlanta Falcons with four.
The Panthers have the league’s worst red zone defense through Week 4, allowing touchdowns on 11 of 12 opponent trips inside the 20. They have also been poor on third down (28th, 49.1 percent).
And it gets worse. In March, the team traded top-tier pass rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants. Defensive lineman Derrick Brown, the Panthers’ only Pro Bowl selection from 2023, was lost for the season last month with a meniscus tear. And now inside linebacker Shaq Thompson is also done for the year with a torn Achilles tendon.
Just to punctuate this less-than-flattering scouting report on the Carolina defense, the Panthers also have committed five pass interference penalties over the first four games. Cornerback Jaycee Horn, who is probably the Panthers’ biggest weapon, has two of those infractions.
In short, this is a golden opportunity for Williams and the Bears to attack Sunday’s game on their terms.
The big number: 6
Completions of 20 yards or more by the Bears this season, which ranks tied for 30th in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. The only team with fewer explosive passes is the New England Patriots (4).
Williams had a 27-yard completion to running back D’Andre Swift on a screen pass against the Rams and the aforementioned 22-yarder to Kmet down the middle. But the Bears are still fighting to ignite their passing attack for more big plays.
For what it’s worth, the San Francisco 49ers lead the NFL with 18 completions of at least 20 yards.
Final word
Statistically, Williams’ output against the Rams was undeniably modest — a 17-for-23 effort for 157 yards and a touchdown. Still, the Bears quarterback played with notable efficiency and impressed his coaches with his willingness to work underneath when the situation dictated it.
Among Williams’ notable checkdown completions: a 10-yarder to Kmet plus an 11-yarder to Swift on the Bears’ third-quarter touchdown drive.
Williams also had a pretty 14-yard completion underneath to Roschon Johnson in the second quarter negated by an illegal formation violation against Darnell Wright.
Williams laughed Wednesday when acknowledging that his willingness to make such plays was deemed a major question mark by many on his pre-draft scouting report.
“Everybody wanted to say I don’t take checkdowns,” Williams said.
During his first month of NFL action, Williams is taking note of the value of such plays.
“It’s always a growing process,” he said. “And I think I’ve done a pretty solid job of finding checkdowns and understanding that game is so huge for us and our offense. … When you can steal first downs — which is what checkdowns do — it helps out tremendously in the long run.”
Moving forward, Williams will have to discover the healthiest balance possible of leaning into his checkdown production without losing the calculated aggression that will allow him to create explosive passing plays down the field.
The Bears must also balance their reminders on the importance of ball security with encouragement for Williams to take his shots when he senses the time is right.
Said Moore: “Every quarterback wants a big play. But if it’s not there or they can’t see it, the checkdown is going to be open. … I mean, you never go broke taking a profit.”
For now, it’s OK for the Bears to strategize away from going broke. But eventually, this offense with this quarterback should have aspirations of a windfall.
