Caleb Williams told a story about practice during his news conference after the Chicago Bears’ 36-10 blowout of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Unlike during the days under coach Marc Trestman, when every practice was said to be good, the Bears offense had a bad day last week at Halas Hall. Williams and the other leaders on the offense didn’t like it.
“The next day, the leaders met a little bit walking off the field on the offensive side and said we need to be better tomorrow,” Williams said. “We came back the next day, locked in and focused and obviously understanding the situation and us just pushing each other for that next day, and it led into the game.”
It led to the rout of the Panthers, a breakout game for receiver DJ Moore and more signs of progress for Williams in his rookie season.
This is where this week’s takeaways column begins.
1. The Bears beat a bad Panthers team … but so what?
By outclassing Carolina, the Bears did what all good teams should do against an inferior opponent. That doesn’t mean the Bears are going to the Super Bowl or that Williams is now an MVP candidate.
It means the Bears and Williams are improving. It means the Bears didn’t play down to their competition. The Bears didn’t struggle to gain yards and first downs. Instead, Williams and company moved the ball at will.
The Bears looked and played like the better team. That should be appreciated, especially early in the season when a rookie quarterback is starting. It’s a good thing that Williams didn’t struggle against the Panthers defense, one of the worst in the league. His success should be embraced.
An ugly win — or worse: a loss — would have produced different storylines and problems to dissect this week. Just look across the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers were a seven-point favorite at home against the Arizona Cardinals — and lost 24-23. The Seattle Seahawks also were a seven-point favorite at home against the New York Giants — and lost 29-20.
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2. The Bears’ plan for Caleb Williams is starting to bear fruit against the blitz.
On July 29, Williams was asked during training camp what aspect of his game felt the furthest from where he wanted to be in Week 1. He paused to think about his answer.
“I would say working on my blitz looks,” Williams replied. “My blitz and coverage looks and feeling the umbrella of the defense and feeling that out to adjust protection, to adjust whether it’s a run, flip the run, flip the run into it, flip the protection, get to a quick game, get to a Cover 0 check. However the structure of it works out, (it’s) just progressing.”
The Bears defense blitzed Williams aggressively throughout camp. That was by design. It was purposeful. The Bears correctly predicted that their opponents would do the same. Every rookie is attacked that way.
But Williams is now beating the blitzes. He’s seeing them and getting the ball out. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams is 17-for-19 for 200 passing yards and two touchdowns against the blitz in the past two games against the Los Angeles Rams and Panthers.
That’s growth. His teammates know it. And you can see it happen live as he takes charge at the line of scrimmage before the snap.
“He’s done a good job of being patient with himself in a certain regard but also having that fire on him where he feels the heat a little bit, where he knows he needs to get better at certain things,” tight end Cole Kmet said after the game in the Bears’ locker room. “And there were things (against the Panthers) that collectively we all could be better at. But his command of the offense is just growing each and every week, a lot faster than I even anticipated to this point.”
The partnership between Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and quarterback Caleb Williams is still developing, but the recent results have been promising. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
3. If you’re going to blame Shane Waldron for his bad play calls in the first four games, then he deserves some praise when his offense totals 424 yards.
Sunday was Waldron’s best game as Williams’ play caller this season. It helped to face a banged-up Panthers defense. But week to week, corrections are being made by Waldron that can be considered improvements, from Kmet’s playing time to featuring center Doug Kramer on the goal line to building a working run game with D’Andre Swift.
Against the Panthers, it was getting Moore going and producing explosive plays. Moore had five catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. And he would have had more yards if he hadn’t dropped a third-down throw from Williams in the fourth quarter.
“Man, I’m trash for that,” Moore said, smiling. “Big trash for that. I had some pretty good stats, but it could have been even better if I didn’t drop that ball. I think I was getting ahead of myself. … That’s why I dropped it.”
Williams’ improvements have coincided with Waldron’s as a play caller. He’s never going to be perfect. No play caller is. His fourth-and-short play call featuring Roschon Johnson as a fullback for a carry was a dud. But Waldron’s critics should also acknowledge the Bears’ recent success. The offense has been better because Waldron has been better.
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4. Caleb Williams passed his first windy test at Soldier Field.
He said he realized the wind would be a factor on his first throw of the game: a speed out to wide receiver Keenan Allen that was nearly intercepted.
“Keenan did a good job kind of getting his hand in the way and batting it down because it ended up being behind him,” Williams said.
He then credited Kmet for adjusting to a throw that turned into a 25-yard gain down the right sideline in the final minute of the first half. A better throw could have resulted in more yards and potentially a touchdown. But the wind changed the ball’s trajectory.
“He made a great catch,” Williams said. “The wind kind of caught the tail end of it and it kind of wobbled on him. Great concentration by him. The corner or nickel bit on the route we had going to the flat. Saw it happen and tried to juice it in there a little bit because it was a little bit longer throw, especially on that side. The wind, I guess, kind of drops in and just pushes the ball and Cole did a great job catching it.”
His next throw was perfect, though.
With the wind at his back, Williams hit Moore for a 30-yard touchdown in the end zone.
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5. The best part about the Bears defense’s early success is that every week there seems to be a new player making a game-changing play.
This week, it was safety Kevin Byard and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Byard made a diving interception on an overthrown deep ball by quarterback Andy Dalton, while Edmunds forced his first fumble this season.
“Guys got sacks, turnovers in all different varieties,” Byard said. “The only one that was missing was the sack-fumble. It was an exciting day. But that’s what it’s supposed to look like. That’s the standard that we play with and that’s how we want to play every single game.”
The Bears will need a big game from Byard in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Safety Jaquan Brisker didn’t travel overseas after being diagnosed with a concussion. He reported having symptoms after Sunday’s win. Brisker can rejoin the team if he clears protocols.
Byard has fit in immediately on the Bears defense. It’s early, but he looks like another solid free-agent signing by general manager Ryan Poles on defense, joining Edmunds, linebacker T.J. Edwards and nose tackle Andrew Billings.
(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
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