The anti-Caleb Williams agendas can hold their horses! The Chicago Bears drafted Williams No. 1 overall at the 2024 NFL Draft to much fanfare. The Chicago faithful were ready to “Bear Down” with the best QB prospect in franchise history.
Advertisement
31 of 32 teams in the NFL have seen a QB throw for 4,000+ yards in a season in their respective histories. The Bears are the lone holdout. There was a real belief that the franchise finally had the guy who would reach that milestone and restore the Windy City’s standing in the NFL.
There was even more optimism after a 4-2 start. The Bears had won three straight, heading into their Week 7 bye. However, there were legitimate concerns about how Williams and the offense were performing against tough defenses.
Since that bye week, Chicago has been outed as a paper tiger. They’ve now lost three straight, and have averaged nine points in those defeats. A big reason for that is the quarterback play. As expected, in this age of 24-hour news, that sparked questions about whether Williams should be benched in favor of backup Tyson Bagent.
Head coach Matt Eberflus is here to shut down any talk of that (via: Adam Schefter):
Matt Eberflus said the team will not change quarterbacks and Caleb Williams will remain the starter.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 11, 2024
Apart from Williams, Eberflus did acknowledge that “everything” is on the table moving forward, including coaching changes. He said that in reference to a question about offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, which means we could see a change in play-caller soon.
Williams & the Bears have been the worst offense since Week 8
Over the last three weeks, the Chicago Bears have scored an NFL-low 27 points, nearly 45 percent less than the next-worst offense. Their 690 total yards and 3.65 yards per play over that span are also dead last in the NFL. Chicago has also thrown for the fewest yards (346) and given up the most sacks (18) during that time.
Caleb Williams has been a big reason for the offense’s crisis. And believe us when we say it is a crisis: they haven’t hit pay dirt since Week 8. The head coach doesn’t openly consider coaching staff changes if everything’s hunky-dory.
Some of the Bears faithful want Williams out because of his poor play. Many others are making the same argument for a very different reason. They believe that subjecting him to such a porous offensive system and this leaky offensive line will have long-term negative effects.
Case in point: the New England Patriots sacked Williams nine times on Sunday. That’s the only time all year a QB has been sacked nine times in one game, and it’s only happened seven other times overall since the start of the 2020 season.
| Player (Pos.) | Pass-Blocking Snaps | Pressures Allowed | PBLK PFF Grade |
| Darnell Wright (RT) | 646 | 32 | 61.4 |
| Lucas Patrick (C) | 563 | 17 | 40.6 |
| Cody Whitehair (LG) | 454 | 51 | 55 |
| Braxton Jones (LT) | 421 | 22 | 70.8 |
| Teven Jenkins (G) | 397 | 29 | 68.6 |
| Nate Davis (RG) | 384 | 25 | 47.9 |
| Larry Borom (LT) | 225 | 28 | 45.2 |
However, some of those sacks are down to Williams. His processing speed was never an issue in college. It seems to be one of his biggest problems as a pro. That inability to make quick decisions and let the ball go will inevitably lead to sacks.
His offensive line is doing him no favors. However, Williams should be held partially accountable for the fact that he’s been sacked 38 times already this year, by far the most of any player.
Over the last three weeks, Williams has had a lot more than issues with his processing power. His one saving grace is that he hasn’t thrown an interception. But apart from that, it has been a month of nightmarish proportions for Caleb.
Among QBs who have played three games since Week 8, Williams is dead last in passer rating (64.7), completion percentage (50.5), TD passes (0), and yards per attempt (4.9).
Five of Chicago’s seven most expensive signings this offseason were offensive players. They’re going to need to live up to their price tag if Caleb Williams is going to avoid becoming an all-time bust.
