Pride of Detroit
For the second week in a row, the Detroit Lions find themselves squaring off with another divisional opponent in the Chicago Bears. Both teams dropped their opener to the other teams in the NFC North, and each one has to be highly motivated to not lose more ground in what could very well end up being the most competitive division in the NFL this season.
We’re back this time around with Bill Zimmerman, Windy City Gridiron’s Deputy Editor, to give us some insight into what feels different about this Bears team under Ben Johnson, where Caleb Williams stands to improve moving forward, and how much the defense would benefit from the return of Jaylon Johnson—and if he doesn’t, who on this Bears defense needs to step up in his absence?
**1. A lot of sweeping conclusions in Week 1, and the criticism of Caleb Williams from the internet has been off the charts. We even saw this before the season started, in the case of Williams, something you spoke to Ty Dunne about recently.
What’s your level of concern with Williams after his performance against the Minnesota Vikings, and in which area(s) of his game are you confident in moving forward this season?**
“You’re not going to ease me in, are you? I was the Captain of the Caleb Williams train. I thought he was the right move for the franchise when we were still halfway through the 2023 season. I was thrilled that he became a Chicago Bear in April of 2024. Obviously, you need to preach patience with any quarterback, and after 18 starts, there’s certainly no reason to give up on Caleb Williams, but his performance on Sunday certainly showed some concerning trends.
Williams is a crazy talented player who will make a few jaw-dropping plays every game. Because of that talent, there’s no way he will be a bust. I think his floor is that he’s a serviceable starting quarterback in the NFL. But the Bears aren’t looking for a serviceable quarterback; they are looking for their first elite quarterback in 75 years. I’m confident that Williams will continue to make some incredible off-scripted plays with both his legs and with his arms, but the concerns are growing for me.
Williams looked frantic in the pocket on Monday night. He has to play with more poise. Williams’ footwork was a mess, which caused many errant throws. His off-target rate last season was 18% and on Monday night, it was 29%. He won’t be able to grow as a quarterback if he doesn’t stop missing the easy shots. Finally, I’m certainly not an expert, but watching the tape, Williams missed several open receivers in his progressions. He got the ball out quicker, he used his dump-offs well, but many times those dump-offs were after he missed one or two (I saw even one play where it was three) open receivers.
*I think Ben Johnson can be the guy to make this all work, and while nobody thought...
