Even with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ recent progress, there’s no telling how he’ll handle what’s coming next.
The challenge is the first of its kind for the rookie: Coming off two nail-biting NFC North losses, he’s on a short turnaround before going on the road Thursday morning against the Lions — the best team in the NFL.
Williams acknowledged the condensed schedule to recover physically and prepare mentally is uncomfortable, and he had a few “mess-ups” in the walk-through Tuesday because he hadn’t had time to study every detail of offensive coordinator Thomas Brown’s game plan. Thursday games are common in the NFL, and the Bears have another one late next month, but Williams has never done it.
The upside for him is that he looks more capable than ever of managing this moment. Rookie seasons are roller coasters, and Thursday might very well be another plunge in his ride, but he put forth sufficient concrete evidence the last two weeks against the Packers and Vikings to show that he’s ready to be thrown into the deep end.
“The time on task has helped,” said Williams, who has started all 11 games and played all but six of the Bears’ snaps. “You can’t ever beat that. That has provided a sense of clarity, a sense of belief and things like that.”
Williams sputtered at the start of the season, then surged against bad defenses, then plummeted again before rising with a solid game against the Packers (231 yards, 95.0 passer rating) and an excellent performance against the Vikings (340 yards, two touchdowns, 103.1 passer rating).
That uptick began with Brown replacing Shane Waldron, and that hardly seems coincidental. Perhaps Williams would’ve gotten to this point by now just the same, but everyone at Halas Hall should be asking whether he would’ve arrived here sooner had the Bears hired Brown over Waldron in the first place.
Given how much Williams has raved about Browns’ coaching style — “He just allows you to play free,” he said this week — and overall operation, Williams, the offense and the Bears at large could’ve gained a lot more ground over the last six months.
Williams pushed back on that notion Tuesday, but conceded that with Brown connecting better to players and utilizing them more effectively as he runs a more efficient offense, “If we were able to do that a little sooner and get going a little sooner, it would’ve helped all of us.”
Regardless, Williams has trended the right way the last two weeks and did it against top-10 defenses.
The Lions, however, will be the best he’s ever faced. They’re second in the NFL at 16.6 points allowed per game and lead the league with a 72.7 opponent passer rating. They also are the top third-down defense, allowing completions just 29.8% of the time. In addition to all that, their offense leads the NFL in points, making it all the more difficult to keep up.
The Vikings’ Sam Darnold is the only quarterback to post a passer rating of 91 or higher on the Lions, and that wasn’t enough to beat them. Dak Prescott and C.J. Stroud each threw two interceptions and lost. Jordan Love played his worst game of the season when he faced them. The last guy to try was the Colts’ Anthony Richardson, who completed only 11 of 28 passes
They’re a problem for any quarterback, let alone a rookie trying to establish a baseline.
“When you come out of those valleys and you get those peaks, you want to find ways to stay on that and plateau,” Williams said.
Or ascend, even.
The Bears’ long-term future hinges on Williams continuing to climb, and the daunting schedule over the final six games provides an ideal measurement of his development. The team can forget about chasing the playoffs at 4-7, but there’s still a ton to be gained and proven by Williams.