Caleb Williams sends emphatic message to NFL with three Chicago Bears moments

Caleb Williams showed what made him such a tantalizing pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in his first-half showing against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, which the Chicago Bears ultimately won 27-3 at Soldier Field .

Though Williams completed 6 of 13 passes for 75 yards and compiled a 64.6 passer rating while playing the entirety of the first half, the star quarterback put on a display that signaled what fans could expect from her in the coming months. Shaking off a slow start, Williams' abilities were in full force during the Bears' final drive of the half .

Here are three moments in the Bears' final drive of the first half that showed just what Williams is capable of, once he can get himself into game shape and with proper reps against the defenses in the NFL.

• Chicago Bears fans furious at condition of Soldier Field for Caleb Williams' home debut
• Caleb Williams role in Chicago confirmed after Bears coach asked if QB will be starter

Connecting with Rome Odunze

At the Bears' 48 with 2:40 remaining in the half, Williams found himself having to put his legs to use. Seeing nothing was open at that point, he spun to his left and sprinted a handful of feet before spotting rookie receiver Rome Odunze free along with sideline.

While on the run, Williams fired a dart right into the hands of Odunze who was brought down at the Bengals' 7 for a 45-yard gain. After the game, Odunze shared his thoughts on the play, stating : "It's pretty unreal, honestly. I just watched it back. He's throwing off one leg, putting it on my outside shoulder. It's like ... ooh, it's magical what he's doing back there in the backfield. He's special."

Williams added, per Yahoo! Sports : "It's something I've worked on in practice. I mean, watching Aaron Rodgers ; I know he was a Green Bay guy. Sorry guys. But watching Aaron Rodgers and all his times these past 19, 20 years. He can do unbelievable things. Just practicing it over time, perfecting it. Obviously, there are gonna be times when I don't put it exactly where I want to. But today worked out, Rome ran a great route and made a marvelous catch."

Evading the defense with style

Then with under two minutes to play, Williams found himself in trouble with the Bengals defense pressing hard. Instead of stressing, the 22-year-old remained calm, using his mobility to elude the defense as he continued to survey the scene.

Although Williams ended up just throwing the ball out of play, his ability to extend plays to find openings, even if they are not apparent from the jump, is invaluable. Instead of losing yards and letting the play die, Williams' movement allowed the Bears to potentially set up the next play.

Showing off the wheels

In Williams' final play of the half, he signal-caller once again showed what made him such an intriguing prospect coming out of USC. With the ball in hand and the defense crashing hard, Williams evaded two defenders before feigning a potential pass to an open receiver in the endzone.

Seeing nothing was open, Williams instead sprinted to the endzone himself for the first touchdown of his career. After the game, general manager Ryan Poles gave props to his coaching staf f for allowing Williams to play through the mistakes.

"I think it's important to allow a young quarterback in the offense that is learning a new system to work through some of those things," he said [h/t Chicago Bears] .