Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has shown flashes of brilliance during his first two preseason games, but the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is pushing back on those who are already comparing him to one of the top signal-callers in the NFL .
On Saturday, Williams got his second taste of NFL action when the Bears faced off against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field. And following yet another strong showing, fans across the league are already willing to place the star rookie in the same sentence as three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes .
Speaking to reporters on the heels of the Bears’ 27-3 win over the Bengals, Williams insisted that while he appreciates the comparisons between him and Mahomes, his main focus this season is centered around helping his team win football games.
"It's respect," he said. "It's cool and all, but I'm Caleb Williams. Patrick Mahomes is Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill is Tyreek Hill. Much love to them and things like that - I've met 'em, talked to 'em both, things like that - but we're here to win games for the Chicago Bears. Da Bears."
Following a slow start in which Chicago stalled out on three consecutive three-and-out drives in the first quarter, Williams pulled off two highlight-reel plays just before halftime.
With just under three minutes remaining in the second quarter, Williams rolled out of a collapsing pocket and delivered a perfect 45-yard pass on the run to rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze while he was draped in coverage by Bengals cornerback Josh Newton. The deep connection marked his longest completion in 43 preseason snaps across games versus Cincinnati and the Buffalo Bills.
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One play later, Williams stutter stepped around Bengals defensive end Justin Blazek and delivered a bullet into the hands of Odunze, who stood unguarded in the back right corner of the endzone. The play was promptly ruled an incompletion, however, since the wideout did not have both feet in bounds.
It didn’t take long for the Bears to reclaim the six points. Less than 10 seconds later, Williams evaded shoestring tackles from Bengals defensive linemen Cedric Johnson and Travis Bell before taking off running for the endzone and tightroping the sideline on a 7-yard score.
Williams finished the game completing 6-of-13 passes for 75 yards and no interceptions - a respectable performance that Bears head coach Matt Eberflus described as a "professional day at quarterback.”
Fans online swiftly commended Williams for his gridiron theatrics, with many likening his play to that of Patrick Mahomes. Against the Detroit Lions on Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback deployed an incredible behind-the-back pass to tight end Travis Kelce - a move that the Bears signal-caller previously showcased during training camp on the HBO Series “Hard Knocks.”
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who played alongside Mahomes for six seasons with the Chiefs, even cheekily compared his former quarterback to Williams, writing on X: “Caleb Williams so nice he remind me of ……”
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