Caleb Williams Watch: Bears QB Looked Like a Rookie in Week 1 Win

Caleb Williams’ NFL debut ended with the Chicago Bears in victory formation as he became the first No. 1 pick since 2002 to win his first start. A win is a win, but it was still a rocky start to Williams’ career.

The former Heisman Trophy winner completed 14 of 29 pass attempts. Several of those incompletions were overthrows and many more were batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Williams finished with 93 passing yards, the fewest for any starting quarterback in Week 1, and his 3.2 yards per attempt also brought up the rear. He kept almost everything close to the line of scrimmage. The Bears’ longest passing play went 13 yards.

The Bears are the only NFL franchise that has never had a quarterback pass for 30 touchdowns or 4,000 yards in a season . With high expectations for their new franchise QB, Athlon Sports will be tracking Williams’ chase of these numbers throughout the season. Needless to say, Week 1 puts him well off the pace for both numbers.

“Obviously, we didn’t perform how we wanted to,” Williams said in the postgame press conference. “We want to be the most efficient team out there, myself included. I didn’t perform the way that I wanted to. I missed a few passes that I normally don’t miss.”

Chicago’s defense and special teams showed up in a big way for its rookie signal caller, something Williams wasn’t able to count on in college . The Bears’ two touchdowns in their 24–17 win over the Tennessee Titans came on a pick six and a blocked punt return. Those plays spearheaded a 17-point comeback even as Chicago’s offense was held out of the end zone.

That type of support is why so many people were excited about Williams’ landing spot. The Bears’ offense finished 28th in DVOA, per FTN , and managed just 148 yards. On the other hand, Chicago’s defense and special teams were both graded as top-10 units.

Though Williams was sacked twice, including a crushing 19-yard loss with the Bears just outside the red zone in the first quarter, he did not turn the ball over. He made a few plays with his legs, including an 11-yard scramble on 3rd and 10 to extend a drive that ended with a field goal.

Williams said the passing offense was not on the same page and vowed that the run game, which was held to 3.8 yards per carry, would be better. He said he didn’t care about stats, but in the same breath acknowledged his numbers weren’t where he wanted them to be. Williams’ 55.7 passer rating was one of the lowest of Week 1.

“It was a frustrating game,” Williams said, “but it shows the personality of this team.”

Williams funneled nearly two third of his attempts to veterans Keenan Allen (four catches on 11 targets for 29 yards) and DJ Moore (five catches on eight targets for 36 yards). Allen dropped a touchdown at the end of the first half, but Williams also missed a wide-open Allen deep. Williams leaned on Moore for short pickups on quick throws.

Chicago did not get its running backs involved in the passing game — D’Andre Swift was the only one who saw a target.

Third down efficiency (2-13) will undoubtedly be a point of emphasis this week, although the Bears did convert both of their fourth-down attempts. Chicago can’t rely on its defense for that much assistance on the road against the Houston Texans (1–0) next week on “Sunday Night Football.”

There’s no sense in overreacting to a single game, but it’s evident there is plenty of room for improvement for Williams. Still, it all goes down easier with a W in the win column.

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