Most people who either viewed the box score or only watched highlights will say Caleb Williams had a terrible game in Houston against the Texans. He threw two interceptions and failed to crack 200 yards. However, that belies the truth. Williams was under siege almost all night, absorbing seven sacks and 11 hits. He rarely had time to survey the field, often forced to run for his life. When that happens, you often see mistakes. There wasn’t any help from the running game, either. He led the team with 44 yards.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, a former scout, dug into the tape to see if it was as bad as people made it sound. Instead, he came away impressed with how Williams performed. He showed toughness and grit and made some truly impressive throws that weren’t documented on the stat sheet. Jeremiah explained on The Rich Eisen Show that the rookie deserves a ton of credit for not throwing anybody under the boss for what happened. If the Bears can get his protection figured out, the progress will show up a lot more.
The good news is that both Shane Waldron and Matt Eberflus are no strangers to correcting major issues like this. In 2022, Seattle got off to a rough start offensively through the first two weeks. They couldn’t run the ball, and Geno Smith was under frequent pressure. Waldron made some adjustments, and the team cracked 100 yards rushing in six of the next seven games. They scored 30 or more points in four of those games. Everybody remembers how Eberflus rallied the team after its ugly start last season.
This is a case where Caleb Williams must trust the coaches. There is some good news. The next four weeks appear to be against much more beatable opponents. Indianapolis (31st), Los Angeles (32nd), Carolina (25th), and Jacksonville (22nd) all have struggling defenses. Sometimes it only takes one good performance to regain some confidence. It feels like that is what the Bears need.
