The Bears had breakdowns all around quarterback Caleb Williams in their 19-13 loss at the Texans on Sunday, and they certainly need better offensive line play, a strong running game and more cohesive play calling.
But Williams isn’t off the hook just because he’s a rookie. Not at all.
While there’s an acclimation period for any first-year player, Williams was touted as the most NFL-ready draft prospect in years and stepped into solid infrastructure. Most rookie quarterbacks don’t start their careers with so many talented skill players or a defense that seemingly can keep the game in reach no matter how much the QB struggles.
Some of what Williams did Sunday illus-trated improvement from the season opener, when he threw for just 93 yards against the Titans. Against the Texans, he completed 23 of 37 passes for 174 yards, with more accurate throwing overall despite still having some misfires.
But as Williams tried to open up his game, he became reckless. He threw two interceptions, plus another that was negated by a Texans penalty. It’s clear he’s still learning that some of the incredible plays he made in college aren’t viable in the NFL.
Here’s a closer look at the film:
Side to side
Williams made by far his most egregious decision midway through the third quarter — and technically, he got away with it. On second-and-nine at his own 35-yard line, he scrambled right, then threw across his body and across the field toward wide receiver Rome Odunze on the left sideline. Everything about it looked bad. He sent it over Odunze to Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter.
“You never want to throw across the field on a scramble because the [defenders] have more time, more space to close,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday. “That’s just a great learning experience for him and exposure for him to be able to learn from that.”
Fortunately for Williams, the interception didn’t count because of a flag on linebacker Henry To’oTo’o for defensive holding.
Two actual interceptions
The Bears had eight possessions in the second half. On five of those, they were within one score of the Texans and had an opportunity to take the lead. They were never totally out of it. But Williams’ interceptions on consecutive drives to end the third quarter and begin the fourth were crucial to the Texans taking control.
Williams was upset with himself because throwing picks is “not something that I do” and “not really my thing.” He threw just 14 interceptions in 37 college games in college. But the passing windows in the NFL close much faster.
His first interception Sunday came on third-and-16 at his own 40, when he underthrew to receiver DJ Moore on the left sideline. Texans cornerback Derek Stingley was in front of Moore and had a much better angle on the ball as he came down with the pick.
Eberflus called it a “50-50” ball and implied that Moore needed to fight harder, but Williams’ underthrow was more problematic. Moore would have had a better chance if Williams had sailed it to the sideline.
With the next interception, the play was wrecked almost immediately when Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter spun past right tackle Darnell Wright for a clean shot at Williams. Hunter wrapped Williams up at the shoulders before he escaped, his jersey ripping as he did. Williams then rolled right and threw on the run to tight end Cole Kmet on the right sideline in triple coverage.
It would have taken an absolutely perfect pass to complete that, but Williams didn’t have his feet set and was short again. Lassi-ter caught the ball well in front of Kmet, who had no chance to knock it down.
Footwork is essential
Overthrows also continued to be an issue for Williams. One of his most consequential misses came on the first drive of the third quarter when receiver DeAndre Carter had a step on his defender heading to the left sideline. That easily would have been a conversion on third-and-three, but the Bears were forced to punt instead.
As with the interception of the pass intended for Kmet, Williams’ footwork on the play was questionable. As he dodged pressure in the pocket, he hopped slightly as he threw the ball off his left foot — something he had successfully done a lot at USC and showed flashes of in training camp and preseason games. Eberflus, however, wants more concentration on fundamentals. He seemed to be repeating a coaching point or perhaps trying to get Williams’ attention when he talked about his accuracy Monday.
“Quarterbacks talk about throwing off-platform and all those things, but they still have their feet planted in the ground, and they do a good job of getting their shoulders around and getting their feet planted towards the target area,” Eberflus said. “It’s important that we start with the ground up, and he’s no different than any other quarterback.”
Some good, too
It wasn’t all bad. There was some promise evident in the film, as Williams completed 62% of his passes — he was at just 48% in his debut — and almost doubled his yardage total from Week 1.
Here are three sharp plays he made:
† A throw to Carter on the right sideline on the opening drive, when Williams went 5-for-5. He was on target and on time, with textbook footwork.
† Staying in the pocket and delivering a crisp throw to Moore for a 16-yard completion to convert a third-and-three late in the first half.
† A third-and-three pass to Kmet with about five minutes left in the game — a show of good recognition and decisiveness. Kmet added seven yards after the catch for a gain of 12.