Bears quarterback Caleb Williams spent his first month in the NFL alternating between showing brief flashes that made him the Heisman Trophy winner and a No. 1 overall pick and a rookie dealing with the NFL’s unforgiving learning curve.
Five weeks into his career, Williams played his best and most complete game in Sunday’s 36-10 win against Carolina.
Some caveats apply. The Panthers are a lowly 1-4, and their defense remains one of the worst against the pass in the NFL. And yet, Chicago rarely looked like anything resembling a contender in September, too, which put the strength of Williams’ controlled performance in perspective Sunday, as Williams completed 20 of his 29 passes for 296 yards, with two touchdowns and zero turnovers.
In his first four games, Williams completed 61% of his passes while being consistently sacked and unable to rely on a ground game that averaged 3.5 yards per carry, second-worst in the league. That average barely budged against the Panthers, but when Carolina had to account for D’Andre Swift’s early productivity as both a runner and receiver out of the backfield, it opened up throws for Williams in play-action.
Williams completed only 48% of his passes in his NFL debut, then was sacked seven times while throwing two interceptions in his second game. In three games since, he has found a measure of more consistency, with five combined touchdowns against two interceptions, with a completion rate of 67%.
Interest in Sunday’s game was a year-and-a-half in the making. The futures of both the Panthers and Bears have been intertwined since Carolina traded with Chicago in March 2023 to move up in the draft and select Bryce Young first overall. Among other assets, the trade netted Chicago a 2024 first-round pick that eventually became No. 1, and was used to draft Williams. (Also in the trade? Receiver D.J. Moore, who caught five passes for 105 yards, including both touchdowns Williams threw.)
But with Young benched in favor of Andy Dalton until the final minutes of Sunday’s blowout, instead of a showdown of No. 1 picks in consecutive years, all eyes were on Williams only. And for good reason.
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