Caleb Williams is the deprogrammer of the Bad Quarterback Cult, a lost, wayward, glassy-eyed sect of Bears fans addicted to burning incense at the feet of unworthy signal callers.
He’s the shock to the system, the ice-bath reminder to those fans that they no longer have to live the only way they’ve known. There’s another way that doesn’t involve mediocre or worse quarterbacks, interceptions, poor decision-making and, inevitably, dashed hopes.
What Williams did Sunday in London should finally free the cultists from their unhealthy attachment to Justin Fields, last year’s model, and all the other quarterbacks before him. Put Fields to bed, tuck him in and let him sleep forever in Pittsburgh. Please. If that sounds like someone begging, it’s because it is.
The Bears beat the Jaguars 35-16 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, primarily because Williams was so good. He threw four touchdown passes. He completed 79.3% of his passes. He ran four times for 56 yards. All of it nice. But don’t make the mistake of looking at what he did Sunday in isolation. He’s improved every week during his rookie season, noticeably, sometimes dramatically. To see it, all you’ve needed is halfway decent vision.
The difference between now and a few rough games earlier?
“The comfort level of getting back to playing football,’’ he said.
Translation: Allowing his skills to take over. Seeing the field well. Most of all, having fun.
The Bears are going to live and die with Williams the next 10 years-plus, but mostly live. He’s that talented. Our regularly scheduled disclaimer: He wasn’t playing against the ’85 Bears defense Sunday. The Jaguars are not a good team, just as the Panthers weren’t good last week.
But it’s how Williams is doing it, not who he’s doing it against that’s so impressive. In the third quarter Sunday, he threw a pass to a spot in the end zone where only receiver Keenan Allen could catch it. If it was a window, it was the size of a hand mirror. His second TD pass to Allen was perfectly placed in the left corner of the end zone. He threw another pass that somehow found its way to Allen’s hands. I don’t know how.
There were times early in the season when Williams looked overwhelmed. There were more than a few times Sunday when he looked like a 10-year vet. On one play early in the fourth quarter, he was flushed out of the pocket. Just when it looked like he’d throw the ball out of bounds – the prudent decision with two large defenders chasing him – he threw off his back foot to a wide-open Cole Kmet over the middle for a 27-yard gain.
The technical, analytical phrase for that is “good golly.’’
Williams had one hiccup, a second-quarter ball that hung too long in the air, allowing the Jags’ Andre Cisco to pick it off. He responded to that with a 23-yard scramble and a two-yard touchdown pass to Kmet on the Bears’ next drive. It sure looked like a sign of someone who doesn’t let failure get a foothold.
“That’s something we’re going to continue to see from Caleb,’’ wide receiver Rome Odunze said.
The Bears are 4-2 and on a three-game winning streak. It really has been a team effort, with the defense coming up with big plays again and again. On Sunday, it was a fumble recovery and an interception. The team effort extends to the opponents, who have made this part of the schedule cushy for the Bears. But there’s no doubt Williams’ improvement has played a huge role in the streak.
“He knows that this is a big year for him to be able to learn the game up here,’’ coach Matt Eberflus said. “He’s always been good enough in terms of talent and those things, but he’s learning the game and learning the offense and learning our skill sets that we have and learning new things that they can do. Our guys have wide skill sets, so we want to utilize (that).’’
Everything’s rosy for the Bears now. They won in London, which looked and sounded a lot like Soldier Field in mid-roar, thanks to all the Bears fans in attendance. They have a bye week, and then they’ll face Washington. Williams, the No. 1 overall pick this year, will take on Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick. That’s entertainment.
As I mentioned on X during the game, those of you still mourning the loss of Fields can probably stop wearing black now.
The Bears have their quarterback. A real one.