One thing fans have grown accustomed to when watching rookie quarterbacks over the past decades is that they’re going to make mistakes. It is part of the learning process when reaching the NFL. Defenses are bigger, faster, and smarter. Throwing interceptions is par for the course. Peyton Manning set the record in 1998 with 28. Eli Manning had nine despite only starting six games. Alex Smith had 11 in seven starts. Matthew Stafford had 20 in ten games. Even Andrew Luck, who had one of the best passing seasons in rookie QB history, still had 18 interceptions. Fans with any common sense would’ve expected something similar from Caleb Williams.
Things progressed as expected through the first six games. The Chicago Bears’ #1 overall pick had five interceptions in his first six games. Then something weird happened. The faucet just stopped. Williams has not thrown a single interception in his last five games. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, this puts him on the cusp of making NFL history.
“Williams hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 193 pass attempts, and he’s closing in on Kyler Murray’s NFL rookie record for the most consecutive passes without an interception.
As the first overall pick in 2019, Murray threw 211 consecutive attempts without an interception. So if Williams throws 19 passes today against the Lions without getting picked, he’ll break Murray’s record.”
Keep in mind he kept this streak alive while enduring the demise of his former offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron. His coaching had gotten so bad that the Bears did something they almost never do: firing a coach midseason. It was beyond clear Williams was trending in the wrong direction under his watch. Since moving to Thomas Brown, the quarterback has experienced a rapid turnaround. His 340 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota was the best performance of his young career.
Fittingly, the final hurdle to reaching this milestone might be the toughest. Caleb Williams must go on the road against the NFC-leading Detroit Lions and a secondary that is so dangerous at forcing turnovers. Defensive backs Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch have combined for 11 interceptions already this season. Stringing 20 more completions together without an interception in this game will be difficult. If it happens, Williams will cement himself as by far the best rookie QB in franchise history.
