Film study: Breaking down Bears QB Caleb Williams’ 3 turnovers vs. Colts

Caleb Williams threw for 363 yards, the second-most in the NFL this season, on Sunday.

He could have thrown for 400 and it probably wouldn’t have mattered.

The Bears can’t win if they turn the ball over as often as Williams did in the 21-16 loss to the Colts. His first of two interceptions and his one fumble led to two of the Colts’ three touchdown drives.

Even as the Bears embrace the forward pass — Williams is the 10th player in franchise history to throw at least 52 times in a game — the most bedrock of NFL truisms apply.

In 58 games since 2000, a Bears quarterback has thrown two or more interceptions and fumbled at least once. The Bears won 18% of those games.

Williams threw his first two career touchdown passes Sunday. But he won’t win regularly unless he takes care of the football.

“That’s his No. 1 job as a quarterback,” coach Matt Eberflus said Monday.

Here’s a look at all three of Williams’ turnovers:

Not on time

The Bears had third-and-4 from the Colts’ 27 with 9:41 left in the first half when Williams took a shotgun snap with three receivers split left and one to the right. He dropped back and threw left toward receiver DeAndre Carter. The throw was late, though, and Jaylon Jones jumped in front of Carter for the interception.

“You’ve got to really feel that corner, where he’s located at, and deliver it on time,” Eberflus said.

He eyed a curl route and then looked toward tight end Cole Kmet, who wasn’t open. That brought Williams’ eyes to Carter, his third option, in the flat.

Williams’ timing was off. But his throw lacked zip because he had a hand in his face. Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis rushed around left tackle Braxton Jones, then ducked inside and was bearing down on Williams as he threw.

“The corner made a great break from the ball, and I didn’t get all of my power into the throw — so, that’s why it was a little bit loftier than some of the usual passes when you’re throwing something like that,” Williams said. “Got a little pushback and tried to get it to him. Thought the DB was a little too far off … [Jones] made a great break on the ball.”

If Williams had merely thrown an incompletion, kicker Cairo Santos would have lined up for a 44-yard kick.

“We lost three points,” Eberflus said.

Too aggressive

The Bears had just gotten their latest in a series of breaks Sunday — the Colts were flagged for roughing Tory Taylor on a fourth-and-18 punt — when Williams lined up under center, turned to his left and faked a handoff to D’Andre Swift in the third quarter. Standing in a clean pocket — the Bears blocked four rushers with six players — Williams launched a ball into double coverage up the left sideline toward Rome Odunze.

It hit the rookie receiver in both hands. Safety Nick Cross, who was in the flat but started running with Odunze up the sideline, jammed his left arm in between Odunze’s two arms. The ball popped into the air and Jones, who had jumped and was about to land, stuck his right arm out to snare the ball. He tapped his two feet along the sideline for his second interception.

“[Cross’] back was turned,” Williams said. “It’s always one of those rules that … when a defender’s back is turned to one of your guys, you give him a chance because obviously, he’s not looking at the ball. The corner made a good break on the ball.”

Williams’ throw was accurate, and Pro Football Focus didn’t consider it a “turnover-worthy play.” But Williams can’t take that chance from his own 23 in a four-point game.

“I think he was just trying to fit it into a tight window, and it was a tough one to fit it in,” Odunze said. “I should have ‘body-caught’ it. I think trying to get my hands on the ball allowed the defender to deflect it. The corner was playing down so he was in the vicinity to be able to make the pick. That’s an unfortunate play, but I have to come down with that, so that’s not possible.”

Eberflus called the play “an aggressive throw,” saying the safe option would have been checking the ball down to Swift, who was open in the left flat for at least a five-yard gain.

“[Williams] has gotta have some wisdom there and discernment in terms of when he needs to make that throw,” Eberflus said. “You never want to take away his aggressiveness, but he has to be really good with [protecting] the football.”

Strip-sack

The Bears took possession with 6:52 left in the game, behind by five. Playing with seven blockers — tight end Cole Kmet and Marcedes Lewis were in a three-point stance on the left side of the line — the Bears ran a play-action pass.

First-round rookie Laiatu Latu rushed over Kmet. Lewis shoved him once, leaving Kmet to block him on the end. Latu used his speed to rush around Kmet and bat the ball out of Williams right hand as he got to the bottom of his drop.

Kmet said he needed to get off the ball faster and sell the run fake more convincingly.

“I’ve got to be better from the start of the snap, and that resolves the issue there,” he said.

Williams sensed the rush and slid up in the pocket, Eberflus said. He couldn’t throw the ball to Odunze in time.

“That was unfortunate,” Eberflus said. “That was a big play in the game for them.”