The Caleb Williams experience has had plenty of thrills and plunges, and the Bears’ game against the Packers on Sunday was full of both.
One moment, Williams was stuck at 7-for-15 passing, trailing 14-3 in the third quarter and sputtering at Lambeau Field, as so many previous Bears quarterbacks have. The next moment, he was threading a touchdown pass through a defender’s arms to wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus — with just a 16.9% probability of completing that one, according to Next Gen Stats — to lead the Bears to the
He fell short, though, as his final pass was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Keisean Nixon to seal the Packers’ 28-21 win and send the Bears tumbling from the top playoff seed in the NFC to the seventh spot.
As Williams himself has said often, it would be better to play well enough throughout a game that a late rally isn’t required. The goal is a steadier performance, espe-cially when it comes to the basics.
Coach Ben Johnson, whose most important task is getting Williams to run his clockwork offense with precision, said Monday there are plays every game where Williams needs to do a better job of hitting open receivers on time and leading them into yards after the catch. He isn’t always recognizing options popping open, especially underneath, or pouncing quickly enough to get receivers the ball in space. His mechanics also have been loose at times, leading to inaccurate passes and a troubling 57.8 completion percentage.
“Then there’s that mix [with him] of, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s one of the most incredible plays I’ve ever seen in my life,’ ” Johnson said, undoubtedly thinking of the pass to Zaccheaus and other amazing off-platform throws Williams has made this season.
Those are the plays that make him special. Where he needs to improve is in the areas that don’t seem so special but are essential.
“We’re striving to combine both of those worlds,” Johnson said. “We’re going to have a really good quarterback, a really dangerous quarterback, a really dangerous offense, a really good team, for a long time when we’re really able to combine both of those thought processes.
“We’re not quite there yet. We’re working diligently every day. You see growth in so many other areas. When that last little bit comes along, we’re going to be really pleased.”
The Bears’ playoff hopes depend on it. If it clicks for Williams soon, they’ll be a scary opponent in the postseason. If it doesn’t, simply getting there becomes dicey.
That reality was driven home Sunday by the interception at the end. Johnson stood by his decision to call for a pass on fourth-and-one at the Packers’ 14-yard line, saying the play “had a lot of options.” Not only did Williams underthrow to tight end Cole Kmet, but he also should have seen him open sooner.
While Williams was up and down, completing 54% of his passes on his way to a 76.6 passer rating, Packers counterpart Jordan Love overcame an early interception to complete 68% of his passes on his way to a 120.7 passer rating, pushing Johnson to desperation. When the Bears, trailing 28-21, got the ball at their own 26 with 3:32 left, Johnson was adamant about running the clock to prevent Love from getting another drive. He even considered going for a two-point conversion if the Bears scored, rather than take his chances in overtime.
“As well as [Love] was playing . . . the last thing we wanted to do was give them enough time to respond because of how dangerous they had been on offense,” Johnson said.
Love is more polished, which comes with more experience and having five seasons in the same offense. He does the simple things well and builds on that foundation with some big plays. That’s what the Bears need Williams to become.
