This wasn’t a coronation. A coronation involves a crown and, at least in football, an opponent not beset by injuries or suffering from quarterback deprivation.
No, this was a celebration. A celebration of what the Bears can be. But more than anything, it was a celebration of what Caleb Williams’ talents look like when fully engaged.
In the fifth game of his NFL career, the rookie finally got the hang of this thing. I don’t know if it will stick for good, but that doesn’t matter right now. Those of us who have been subjected to years of what the Bears curiously thought of as quarterbacking saw a kid do it all Sunday. And do it almost effortlessly.
Williams threw with power and accuracy in a 36-10 victory over the Panthers at Soldier Field. He threw deep, too, something that had been taken out of his toolbox the first four games. Gone were the overthrows that had people asking if he was throwing to a person or a time zone. He finished 20 of 29 for 304 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 10.5 yards an attempt and had a 126.2 passer rating. But those are numbers. Cold, lifeless things.
This was enthralling, and I use that word in connection with football about as often as I use the word leotard.
One play will serve nicely to demonstrate just how good Williams was Sunday. Late in the second quarter, he threw a 30-yard touchdown pass that landed right on DJ Moore’s fingertips in the end zone. And it was so much more than the result. The ball went 40-plus yards in the air, but it looked like a flick of the wrist for the rookie. His throwing motion was compact and effortless.
It came despite a strong wind that couldn’t make up its mind which way to blow.
“The wind today was weird because at certain times it was blowing that way, but the opposite side was this way,’’ Williams said.
His talents were on full display all day. Side-arm passes. Touch passes. Passes that cut through gales. All the skills Bears fans hoped for out of the No. 1 pick in the draft but dared not say out loud were there.
Williams looked much more comfortable running the offense than he had in the Bears’ first four games. He went through his reads. He escaped pressure and coolly looked for receivers first. He also ran five times for 34 yards.
“He’s just learning and growing,’’ Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “You can see that.’’
It can’t be emphasized enough that the Panthers are a below-average team made worse by a bundle of injuries. But if we’re going to criticize the Bears and Williams for poor play — and we have — it’s only fair to praise them for performing well, no matter the opponent. Williams played so well Sunday that it was hard to imagine him struggling against any defense on a sunny afternoon at Soldier Field.
It’s not as if the Bears’ offensive line has solved all its problems after a rough start to the season. But Carolina sacked Williams only once. D’Andre Swift had a 42-yard reception off a short pass in the second quarter, but another star on that play was Coleman Shelton, who blocked all the way down the field ahead of his running back. Not bad for a 285-pound center.
That play had been set up by the Bears’ defense. A massive hit by safety Jaquan Brisker caused Carolina tight end Tommy Tremble to part with the football and reality. It was that kind of day for the Bears — and the Panthers. Every good thing that could have happened to the Bears did.
Carolina quarterback Andy Dalton, who took over for the struggling Bryce Young two games ago, struggled on his own Sunday, finishing with 136 yards and a 61.0 rating. Down 26 late in the fourth quarter, the Panthers turned back to Young. Carolina took him first overall in the 2023 draft, and his quick downfall has served as a kind of scary bedtime story for the Bears and their fans. Could the same thing happen to Williams?
It’s hard to see it, especially with the way he played Sunday. There’s too much substance there. He doesn’t do one thing well. He does several things well. If his fastball isn’t working, he has a wicked curveball, too.
Are we overstating things? Possibly. So what. There have been plenty of false prophets before Williams, but this quarterback looks legit. If this was a celebration, as stated earlier, then the idea is to celebrate. In this case, you celebrate skills that haven’t been seen in Chicago — at least not seen in a Bears jersey.