One good sign from Bears quarterback Caleb Williams against the Commanders, despite one of his worst overall statistical performances, was that something eventually clicked and he gave his team a chance to win late.
The Bears took a 15-12 lead with 25 seconds left before falling 18-15 on a Hail Mary pass from Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown on the final play. The Bears scored their first points on D’Andre Swift’s 56-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, then Williams drove them to the Commanders’ 1-yard line midway through the fourth quarter — Doug Kramer fumbled — and led a 62-yard touchdown drive near the end.
Williams completed 6 of 9 passes for 95 yards down the stretch after starting the game 4 for 15 for 36 yards.
“He’s a 22-year-old rookie quarterback, so you’re going to have emotions here and there,” Bears quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph said Thursday. “The thing I love about him is the way he resets himself. Even if he misses a throw here and there, for him to come back and play the way he did in the fourth quarter, that’s nothing but grit and mental toughness.”
It followed a trend for the Bears. In first quarters, they’ve scored 10 points and Williams has had an 84.4 passer rating. In fourth quarters, those numbers jump to 65 and 93.9.
“We have to start fast — we have to figure out ways to do that,” Williams said. “We have to figure out ways to maintain and keep that going throughout four quarters.”
Herbert in limbo
Running back Khalil Herbert has played only 27 offensive snaps this season and Sunday was a healthy scratch for the first time. That, combined with the fact he’s in the final year of his contract, makes him perhaps the Bears’ most obvious trade candidate ahead of the trade deadline Tuesday.
When asked if he wanted to be dealt, Herbert replied, “It’s not up to me.” Then he added that he hoped to contribute for the Bears.
“I want to be here and be able to help this team when I get the opportunity,” he said.
It’s fair to wonder when that may be. The Bears have leaned on Swift as their every-down back, with Roschon Johnson playing in short yardage and some passing downs. Travis Homer is a core special teamer.
“You can see the sadness,” running backs coach Chad Morton said of Herbert on Thursday. “He’s a human, too. He wants to play. He wants to be active. He wants to help, which he can, but it’s just not set up for him right now.”
Herbert said being a healthy scratch was particularly hard given the success he had with the team in his first three years. He has 1,791 rushing yards as a Bear, but only 16 this year.
“He’ll get an opportunity at some point,” Morton said. “We just got to keep him ready to go.”
Flip flop
The Bears are 4-3 after facing the NFL’s sixth-easiest schedule through eight weeks. Their opponents have had a combined .426 winning percentage.
While they still have a manageable game against the 4-4 Cardinals on Sunday and host the 2-6 Patriots next, the schedule takes a sharp turn after that. Their final eight games, including their entire NFC North slate, are against teams .500 or better, and they have the league’s toughest remaining schedule with a .632 opponent winning percentage.
This and that
– Several key players remained out of practice Thursday: cornerback Kyler Gordon (hamstring), safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion), left tackle Braxton Jones (knee), left guard Teven Jenkins (knee) and offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie (calf).
– Defensive end Montez Sweat was back from a shin injury in a limited capacity.
– Backup offensive tackle Larry Borom practiced in full and said he’s “definitely” ready to return from his ankle injury and make his season debut.