Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers defense will have to keep after Chicago Bears second-year quarterback Caleb Williams on Sunday. He often doesn’t go down after initial contact. The 2024 first overall pick is one of the best in the league at escaping pressure.
Williams is the modern day Houdini.
“There are quite a few magic words,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said with a laugh. “This guy, he’s an escape artist. He does a really good job of buying extra time moving around the pocket. If you give him open windows, he’s going to get the ball down the field. If you give him a wide-open lane, he can take it and run it. And he is, he’s dynamic, just a young player on the rise. And so, we’re going to have to do a great job of plastering. We’re going to have to do a really good job in terms of our rush lanes and making sure we try to keep him bottled up, because when he gets outside the pocket, that’s usually when bad things happen to defense.”
Williams has completed 59.7% of his passes for 2,329 yards with 13 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 89.9. He has also rushed for 272 yards on 52 carries and three touchdowns.
“All of us,” Austin said when asked about containing Williams. “It’s going to be an all-day job – rush, coverage, being able to plaster, giving guys time to get there, knowing when you can come out of coverage to get them. So, everybody’s going to be involved.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has also been blown away by Williams’ ability to escape pressure.
“[I’m] really just impressed with his physical talent, his ability to throw the football with accuracy, his arm strength, and his ability to extend,” Tomlin said. “His capability and play extension is really challenging.”
Just absurdity from Caleb Williams. Turns a 7 yard sack into a 7 yard gain pic.twitter.com/J2UiOyDhZi
— Steve Letizia (Formerly CFCBears) (@CFCBears) November 17, 2025
The Steelers re-signed quarterback/wide receiver John Rhys Plumlee to their practice squad earlier this week to help simulate Williams’ talents.
“I thought he did good,” Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward said of Plumlee. “There were a couple of times they just extended plays, and you’ve got to get those looks, and we needed that. It’s not just be one guy doing their job. It’s multiple guys have to be there, really, ending that play.”
The Steelers forced six turnovers in their Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts and had two defensive touchdowns in their Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s a defense that relies heavy on turnovers. They have scored a league-high 77 points off turnovers. If the turnovers don’t come, it’s a very average defensive unit.
Williams’ escapability provides big plays for the Bears downfield, but he also has a habit of fumbling the ball. He had 10 fumbles in his 2024 rookie campaign and has five...
