The Chicago Bears missed a golden opportunity Sunday to win their fifth consecutive game against a Baltimore Ravens team absent Lamar Jackson, and it has led to renewed criticism of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams.
Colin Cowherd and John Middlekauff of “The Volume” discussed Williams following the Bears’ loss in Baltimore, and in their back and forth essentially co-predicted that Chicago and head coach Ben Johnson will ultimately part ways with the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick.
“Caleb, in my opinion, is never gonna be an accurate — consistently accurate — thrower of the football in this league,” Cowherd said. “Am I too harsh?”
“No,” Middlekauff responded. “And if he’s not, he’s not gonna work with Ben Johnson.”
Middlekauff continued, extolling the virtues of the defense and running back D’Andre Swift, while asserting that Williams isn’t even an average NFL signal-caller at this point in his career.
“[Williams] has not played well. Their team has. The running back has played well and the defense has played well. The quarterback has not,” Middlekauff said. “How many times today with Caleb, guys in the flat — even on completions — they have to stop? There’s no rhythm to his game. I think Caleb isn’t remotely a good player. Physically he’s got a lot of gifts. But in terms of playing the quarterback position, I think he’s borderline not even average. That’s a problem.”
Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson Viewed Costly 4th-Quarter Interception Differently
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
Williams completed 25-of-38 passes for 285 yards and one crucial interception against the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday.
Down 16-13 with a little more than nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter and buried deep in Bears’ territory, Williams threw a pass meant for wide receiver Rome Odunze that Ravens defensive back Nate Wiggins stepped in front of and picked off. Wiggins returned the football to Chicago’s nine-yard line and Baltimore punched in a touchdown just two plays later.
“It was a good read. Rome was man-to-man with the guy who caught the pick,” Williams said of the errant pass. “I just didn’t give a good ball to Rome.”
There seemed, however, to be something of a disconnect between the quarterback and his coach with regards to that particular play.
“In my mind,” Johnson said, “there might have been another option that we could have gotten to.”
Caleb Williams’ Passing Stats Slightly Down This Season
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
That interception didn’t necessarily end Chicago’s chances of winning the game, as the Bears were able to turn a subsequent drive into a field goal that cut the lead to seven points with a little more than five minutes to play.
However, the defense was unable to get Williams and company the football back. The Ravens eventually scored another touchdown and won the contest by a score of 30-16.
Chicago hired Johnson over the offseason in the hopes of turning Williams and the offense around. However, the team is 4-3 through seven games, precisely where it was last year under Matt Eberflus after the first loss of what would become a 10-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Williams’ completion percentage is down from 62.5 percent in 2024 to 61.9 percent this season. His interception rate is also up, as he has thrown four of them through seven games after tossing just six INTs in 17 starts last season.
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