After struggling to start fast the week before, Caleb Williams was so good in the first quarter Sunday that Bears coach Ben Johnson asked his quarterback what he had for breakfast.
The answer: Williams’ typical iced matcha green tea plus an omelet and a singular pancake with syrup.
“We just need to keep doing that on game day from here on out,” Johnson told him.
Even though Williams’ next game is at night, the Bears should have the same meal ready for their quarterback. It’s imperative that he start fast this time around against the rival Packers.
A better first quarter from Williams at Lambeau Field two weeks ago would have ensured the game didn’t come down to the final minute, when the quarterback threw an interception to the Packers’ Keisean Nixon in the end zone while trailing by seven.
At stake Saturday is first place in the NFC North and a chance to make the playoffs — if not earn the top spot in the entire conference.
“If I play how I played this past game — or if I play better than that — we’ve got a real shot to do whatever we want in this league,” Williams said Tuesday.
In a blowout win against the Browns, Williams went 5-for-8 for 80 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter. The Bears led 14-0 at the end of the frame.
At Lambeau Field a week earlier, Williams went 1-for-7 for two yards in a first quarter that ended in a scoreless tie.
“We feel as if we let [the Packers] off the hook,” Williams said Tuesday. “And part of that was us starting slow, part of that was the explosive plays and allowing something that we’ve been pretty good at so far this year …
“We want to go out there and play our brand of football and it gives us the best shot to go win the game — and that’s starting fast, playing physical, executing plays the way that we know we can.”
Williams had bemoaned his own slow starts for weeks. Before Sunday, he had an 84.6 passer rating in the first quarter. Sunday, it was 135.4 — and one of his incompletions was a dropped screen pass by rookie running back Kyle Monangai.
Johnson could feel Williams’ comfort before the game — “He was throwing the ball well,” he said — even though frigid conditions would have made it easy for the quarterback to get off to a slow start.
“That’s a big part of what we do in that pregame routine, is, making sure that the first series isn’t a warm-up series,” Johnson said. “We’re starting hot.
“We only have … 65-70 bullets in a game, and we can’t afford to waste any of those plays trying to get the engine started. We’ve gotta start off guns a-blazing, and I think he really embodies that mentality.”
Beating up on the Browns early in the game gives Williams confidence he can do it again — not that he’s ever had much of a problem with being self-assured.
“I believe in who I am,” he said. “I believe in how I work and all these different things. And then having the group around me only strengthens that for me. —it’s always strength in numbers. It’s always one. It’s always us.
“With that being said, my confidence is growing and it’s going to be through the roof.”
The stakes Saturday, though, will be something entirely different.
“Each week for me is another step in that level of comfort, whether it’s a win or a loss,” he said. “And I think that’s starting to show a little bit … But my next steps are going out there and starting fast. Play well this weekend and try and help lead this team to victory.”