Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was nearly perfect Sunday in his return from a hamstring injury. His decision making, his throws, his poise, his energy — everything the Bears dreamed of when they drafted him showed up in their 31-23 win over the Falcons.
But, as veteran Case Keenum pointed out following his sparkling game against the Eagles last month, the NFL rewards great performances by immediately demanding them again.
Williams certainly isn’t expected to duplicate what he did Sunday on a regular basis — completing 30 of his 36 passes was phenomenal — but he is looking to establish consistency somewhere in that neighborhood. That’s what it’ll take to put the Bears in the Super Bowl conversation, and the assignment gets tougher with the Patriots and Seahawks coming up next.
Those teams played in the Super Bowl last season and are led by two of the NFL’s preeminent defensive coaches in New England’s Mike Vrabel and Seattle’s Mike MacDonald, a pair of masterminds capable of playing chess with Williams and coach Ben Johnson.
The Patriots are the No. 6 defense in the league and the defending champion Seahawks are No. 1. Both are in the top half of the league in pressuring quarterbacks and overall pass defense.
Williams faces a quick turnaround with the Patriots coming to Soldier Field on Thursday, then an extended opportunity to regroup before the Bears visit the Seahawks on Nov. 2.
The short week is tough as it is, but especially challenging for Williams as he deals with ongoing injury maintenance. He said last week that while he was healthy enough to play, he wasn’t fully healed and would need to put in extra time between games to keep himself in playing condition.
“Lots of treatment,” Williams said Sunday of his plans leading up to the Patriots game. “Studying film while I’m watching treatment. It’s just another thing that’s added to my day. It’s going to be like that for the rest of the year. Just making sure I’m on top of it.
“After a 60-minute game, I feel pretty good. I have no stiffness, no tightness. … I’ve got to let the adrenaline settle down and figure out how I feel after that.”
Sore, probably. It’ll be difficult to come back Thursday with the same electricity, but he and the Bears knew what they were getting into when they brought him back in Atlanta rather than wait for the Patriots game.
It’s the next step for Williams in a season that already has been all over the place.
He was fantastic in the Bears’ season-opening win over the Panthers, then struggled significantly against the Vikings the next week before leaving with the hamstring strain.
All quarterbacks hit rough patches, and Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford are among those who have turned in total duds this season, but each of them has a track record a mile long and can write those games off as aberrations. That’s where Williams wants to be.
In his return Sunday, he played what Hall of Famer Tom Brady called the best game of his career as he completed 83.3% of his passes, second-highest in team history and threw for 305 yards and a touchdown for a 111.8 passer rating.
Williams deflected Brady’s comment, sounding a lot like coach Ben Johnson.
“When you win, it covers up things,” Williams said. “When you lose, it shows everything. We’ll be truth tellers about ourselves and figure out what we need to fix and get better.”
That game steadied his season stats at a 72.5 completion percentage, which leads the league, a 101.5 passer rating and an average of 237.3 yards passing per game. Those are reasonable targets for him. If he settles into that level of efficiency and production — or better, of course — all questions will be answered.
Playing like that also would mean two substantive developments for the Bears: Williams being able to compensate for other personnel deficiencies and giving his team a shot at competing for a championship. Those are high on the list of job requirements for a franchise quarterback.
One of the most impressive parts of Williams’ game against the Falcons is that he carried the offense, which was missing No. 2 running back Kyle Monangai, when the rushing attack fell flat. D’Andre Swift averaged just 2.8 yards per carry, while Roschon Johnson added 3.9.
Williams also navigated instability on the offensive line, though he did take four sacks, and spread his passes among eight receivers.
Those are all signs of a quarterback stepping into his own and not being dependent on his circumstances.
And coming off a season in which the Bears went 11-6 and came within a couple plays of reaching the NFC Championship Game, they’re aiming for a deeper playoff run. That will hinge, more than anything, on Williams.
The roster, while imperfect, looks ready enough. The Bears have sufficient pieces on the offensive line when healthy, a talented group of skill players, a top-10 defense and a credible coach.
From there, everything rides on Williams. Whether he’s good, great or erratic, the Bears will be as well. He played at a championship level Sunday, and more of that would give his team a chance against anybody.