In April, just blocks from where they’ll play the Lions on Thursday, the Bears embarked on something few teams in the NFL had ever been lucky enough to attempt: They drafted USC quarterback Caleb Williams first overall and, rather than put him on a developing roster, teamed him with players they thought could compete for a playoff spot this season.
With six games to play, the playoff dream is gone. The 4-7 Bears have lost five in a row. The stability they so valued vanished, too — offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired after only nine games, and coach Matt Eberflus seems likely to follow after the season.
That leaves the Bears in the more traditional role of a team that drafted first — looking for signs of hope from their quarterback as they march to more losses. In that sense, they’re no different than the 2023 Panthers.
As depressing as that truth has become, Williams has given the Bears plenty to be excited about the last two weeks. Since pairing with new coordinator Thomas Brown, he has a 99.9 passer rating, two touchdown passes and 103 rushing yards. He has looked the part, too, which might be the only thing that comforts Bears fans by the time the Lions game ends Thursday and they sit down for Thanksgiving dinner.
That last game against the Vikings could prove to be a breakthrough. Not only did Williams go 32-for-47 for 340 yards and two touchdowns, but he seemed unbothered by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ blitzes.
“If you get hit, get back up and throw the next punch,” Williams said. “Next time, just throw the punch first.”
Williams zipped passes with conviction while avoiding an interception for a fifth consecutive game. He seemed more confident than ever in his throwing ability, particularly late in the game. His 27-yard pass to DJ Moore with 21 seconds left to set up the game-tying field goal was, given the stakes, the best throw Williams has made as a Bear.
“It was very obvious he had no fear, at all, which is the way we want to have him play,” Brown said. “I think about being aggressive and taking calculated risks, so aggressive is not being reckless. It’s two different things.
“Making some tight-window throws is why you get drafted No. 1 overall — to make those big plays. When it comes to end of the game, end of the half, he’s delivered in a big way, which I think sometimes goes unnoticed because of the result, which I get. But that’s a rookie quarterback who in my opinion hasn’t even scratched the surface of how good he can be.”
Promoting Brown has proved to be the smartest thing the Bears have done to unlock that potential, and it was done to unwind their own mistake. Browns and Williams have made the best of a situation that the Bears, in a mere 10 weeks, allowed to devolve from an ideal setup for Williams to an all-around mess.
“Not having somebody jump in halfway through the season, you’d get a better opportunity to understand them, build a relationship with them, talk to them more, be around them and their family a lot more,” Williams said. “It would’ve helped, but that’s not the situation.
“This is Week 3 with Thomas and us going out there and performing, and performing well helps our relationship. And us having the open communication that we have during the games, on the practice field and in the rooms is only building that.”
The Bears say the next step is to win. The only next step that matters, though, is Williams’ improvement.
“We’re in this situation now,” Williams said, “and being able to attack this head-on is the most important thing.”
