Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams faced some notable struggles during the season opener Monday in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
He led the Bears on a 61-yard touchdown drive to open the game, but that proved to be the highlight for coach Ben Johnson’s offense. Williams finished the night 21-for-35 passing for 210 yards with one touchdown pass.
The Vikings presented a unique challenge. This was always going to be a tough Week 1 matchup for a team building a new offense. It won’t get any easier this week against the two-time reigning NFC North champion Detroit Lions.
Here’s a look back at what went well and what didn’t for Williams in Week 1.
1. Accuracy is in the footwork … and the ‘decisiveness.’
Williams appeared to miss several throws in Monday’s game, particularly in the second half. Williams’ targets averaged 4.8 yards of separation, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That margin led the NFL in Week 1. Targets were getting open, but the quarterback wasn’t hitting them.
Williams missed DJ Moore on a fourth-down attempt from just outside the red zone in the first half. He missed on a nearly identical route with tight end Cole Kmet late in the third quarter on a key possession that ended with a missed field goal.
“It’s frustrating,” Williams said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “That’s something that we practice, something that we get after and something that I’m going to keep getting after, keep correcting. Passes that I feel that I typically don’t miss in those moments.”
Asked about Williams’ accuracy, Johnson indicated that when the footwork was on point, the throws were accurate.
“When he was doing it properly, the ball came out on time and I thought he was delivering accurate footballs,” Johnson said. “But it’s still not 100% all the time and that’s something that we’re working through.”
Williams brought up his footwork, too, when asked about his accuracy. Even when the footwork is on point, Williams said for him it’s about being smooth and not being hesitant.
“The decisiveness always wins,” Williams said.
2. Scrambling is still a strength for Williams.
Possibly Williams’ best throw of the night came on the first possession. Facing a third-and-5 inside the red zone, the Bears were running up against the play clock before Williams took a timeout.
Williams then heard the play call directly from Johnson on the sideline during the timeout. After the break, the quarterback took a shotgun snap and pressure came at him from the right side of the formation. He scrambled out to his right, but kept his eyes downfield. Throwing on the run to his right, Williams fired a pass to receiver Rome Odunze, who caught the ball with his arms outstretched and his toes dragging.
It moved the sticks and eventually led to Williams’ 9-yard touchdown run.
“It was kind of a piercing throw,” Odunze said. “He threw it on the money, right on the laser. So I was able to reel it in on the sideline, get two feet in.”
Johnson said the Bears are coaching Williams both to keep his eyes downfield when he scrambles and to look for opportunities to run himself.
“It really depends on the play, the situation, and the defense,” Johnson said.
Williams showed his ability to do both on that possession. His touchdown a few plays later, during which he brushed past a diving defender to reach the pylon, showcased Williams’ speed. He topped out at 20.29 miles per hour on the play, per Next Gen Stats.
Williams actually clocked two of the top 11 fastest runs in Week 1, the other being a 13-yard run near the end of the game.
Williams said after the game that he and Johnson “consistently” talk about how to use the scramble drill to their advantage.
“If I saw something (open), hit it, if not be decisive, get downhill, protect the team, protect the football,” Williams said.
3. With pre-snap penalties, ‘look at the play caller and the quarterback.’
The Bears were penalized 12 times in the game. Several were due to the offense’s pre-snap procedure. The Bears were called for four false starts and one illegal shift.
Those, of course, involve all 11 players doing their jobs properly — 12 including the play caller. The play has to arrive in the quarterback’s ear in a timely manner. Everyone has to line up properly. The quarterback might have to send someone in motion. The offensive line has to be on the same page with the snap count.
Johnson said he believes the process will speed up as the season goes along. There was at least one time when he took the blame for getting the play call in late.
Johnson said the responsibility primarily falls on the coach and the quarterback first.
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“If we’re having procedure issues, then, yeah, you look at the play caller and the quarterback, first and foremost,” Johnson said. “And it’s really the responsibility of everybody else from there to make sure that we’re getting it right.”
Williams also noted that he needs to be clear in the huddle when he barks out the play call so there’s no confusion.
“Some of it is, obviously, it’s on me being able to maybe say it louder in the huddle or maybe not be as aggressive on punching the gas on the cadence,” Williams said.
The Bears will have a different challenge at the line of scrimmage this week at Ford Field, which has become one of the NFL’s loudest environments since the Lions emerged as a contender. The Bears will likely use a silent count for much of the game in Week 2.
