With the Bears tied late in the second quarter, Caleb Williams dropped back, stepped up into the pocket and ran up the left sideline.
Without a linebacker there to spy him, the quarterback took off at a full gallop at the Panthers’ 36. Defensive backs stayed plastered on Bears receivers, thinking Williams was still looking to pass.
“From there,” Williams, “it was just, ‘Beat them to the pylon.’”
By the time Williams reached the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown run, not a single defender had touched him.
He hit 20.8 mph, the fastest any NFL quarterback ran in Week 1. Only four other ball-carriers ran faster.
How coach Ben Johnson wants to use Williams’ speed will dictate whether the Bears’ high-flying offense can continue playing at the next level. At the least, it’s given Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores something else to think about before Sunday’s home opener at Soldier Field. Williams, meanwhile, has another avenue at providing an encore to the best offensive performance of his pro career.
With Williams running 10 times for 65 yards last week, mostly on scrambles, the Bears scored 59 points, the fourth-most in team history. Williams became just the second Bears quarterback since 2003 not named Justin Fields to run 10 times in a game. He was the only quarterback in franchise history to run for at least 65 yards and two touchdowns — and also throw for at least 250.
“He’s always been a really, really high-level runner,” Johnson said Friday.
He has the best top-end speed of any quarterback in the NFL. Last year, Williams had five carries of more than 20 mph — as much as all the other quarterbacks combined. Only the Broncos’ Bo Nix had more than one. In Week 1, Williams surpassed 20 mph twice. Only the Jets’ Geno Smith did it once.
“He looked explosive, man,” receiver Luther Burden said.
Williams’ ability to throw the ball decisively and on time will be his biggest test all season long — but his speed will be the X-factor.
“That’s why he’s so hard to prepare for,” Johnson said. “You know, these quarterbacks this day and age, they’re able to use their legs just as well as their arms. I think it adds another dimension.
“It’s really challenging when you’re on the defensive side looking to contain. You talk all week about keeping him in the pocket, forcing him to play quarterback. And yet that’s easier said than done a lot of times, particularly when you’ve got a guy like him who is so good at escaping.”
When Johnson decided to take the Bears’ job, he was intrigued by not only Williams’ throwing ability but his athleticism. Lions quarterback Jared Goff averaged 1.6 yards per carry in the three years Johnson called plays.
Williams, who has averaged 5.2 yards per carry under Johnson, might be the answer to the question so many Bears fans asked earlier this decade — what would happen if you combined Fields’ rushing ability with a competent passer?
The Bears called designed runs for Fields, but don’t figure to often with Williams. As the play-caller, Johnson needs to strike the right balance between calling runs for his dangerous quarterback and exposing him to unnecessary hits.
Johnson is enough of a perfectionist that he wants Williams’ first read to be open, every time. But he appreciates what the quarterback can do — whether it’s running or scrambling — when it’s not
“If I had my druthers, every single play the primary receiver would get the ball in rhythm and timing,” Johnson said with a smile. “And yet there’s plenty of times I don’t call the plays against the right coverages or it didn’t work out quite like we thought and [Williams} makes us right. . It’s a luxury, for sure.”
Williams is all for it. He lost 15 pounds this offseason — he worked with a nutritionist and cut out sports drinks — in part to get faster.
“I know I sound like I’m old when I’m young, but when you start packing on a little weight it gets a little rough,” he said. “I feel good, I feel slim, I feel smooth in my movement. And I want to keep that up throughout this part.”
Seven of Williams’ 10 runs in Week 1 were scrambles. Another was a failed fourth-down quarterback sneak. The most clever, though, was when Williams faked a handoff and rolled right on a sweep with three blockers in front of him. When he tried to plunge into the end zone, he was hammered by Panthers safety Nick Scott.
That’s the kind of risk the Bears don’t want to take often.
“There’s times where you got to lower your head and get a yard for us, whatever it may be, and I think he understands those,” offensive coordinator Press Taylor said. “I think there’s always going to be a fine line you’re balancing with your quarterback carrying the football, but it’s something we feel like we can utilize in the right pieces. It gives us an advantage.”