We’ve had a couple of days to digest Caleb Williams’ performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday. As I wrote today, I’m still feeling pretty good about where the rookie quarterback stands heading into the bye week.
It’s been said week after week, but Sunday was Williams’ best performance yet. That in itselfโthe fact that every week was better than the lastโis a significant victory for the Chicago Bears.
Williams completed 23 of 29 passes (79.3%) for 226 yards, four touchdowns, an interception, a 124.4 passer rating, and picked up 56 yards on four rushing attempts. His latest performance made some history, too, if you’re into this sort of “fun with numbers” historical view:
- Williams is the first rookie selected No. 1 overall to win four of his first six career starts in the common draft era.
- On Sunday, his 79.3 percent completion percentage is the third-highest ever by a rookie in a game with at least four touchdown passes.
- Williams became the fourth rookie quarterback with at least four passing touchdowns and 50-plus rushing yards in a single game, joining Troy Aikman, Robert Griffin III, and Deshaun Watson.
Not too shabby.
Let’s start today’s film study with Williams’s worst throw of the day: The interception on the deep shot intended for DJ Moore.
Caleb Williams with a poor decision on this interception. Why take that risk on 3rd and 1? #Bears pic.twitter.com/rsKCzlinra
— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 13, 2024
This was a bad throw. There’s no other way of putting it. It was a great design by Shane Waldron, who had guard Doug Kramer at fullback and deployed Kiran Amegadjie as an extra blocker. This gave Williams time in the pocket for a deep shot to DJ Moore to develop. The design worked, and Moore was wide open. Williams just put too much air under the throw โ otherwise, it would have been a touchdown. Williams acknowledged the miss to Moore in his postgame press conference, and if we’ve learned anything about Williams thus far, he hates to make the same mistake twice. He’ll be working to correct this error moving forward.
Outside of the interception, Williams did so much good on Sunday that I decided to format this story as follows: I will share my favorite throws by Williams from Sunday. This is exciting because it’s nice to have so many plus throws on the tape that I can’t share them all in this space. What a time to be a Bears fan!
My Favorite Caleb Williams Throws From Week 6
Let’s start with the seam shot to Cole Kmet, who went for six points.
This is such a good design. I can’t emphasize that enough. After the game, Williams said the design was so good that it was a lay-up throw to Kmet. It was, but I still want to applaud Williams’s execution of the design and his ability to make sure that he hit the easy one, something we haven’t seen in the past.
On Williams’ second touchdown to Kmet, we’re looking at another stellar design. But unlike the first one, this touchdown required an equally impressive throw and a great read/decision from Williams. He could have tried to rip a pass into Keenan Allen in front of the goal line and, with his arm talent, might have been able to score that way, too, but he made the better decision to hit Kmet in the corner after seeing Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd crash down on Allen.
This falls into the “you can’t teach that” bucket. Williams’ ability to effectively read and react through six games is farther along than anyone expected. He is making veteran decisions and has the arm talent to back up those choices.
How about this throw?
This is filthy on every level.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) October 14, 2024
pic.twitter.com/bKxt7WIJSd
Williams’ second touchdown pass to Allen, his fourth of the day, was incredible. He threaded that ball over the hands of the outstretched defensive tackle and linebacker and dropped it over the cornerback in tight coverage into Allen’s hands with no room for error in front of Allen as he approached the boundary in the end zone.
Or this one?
Caleb Williams' first touchdown pass to Keenan Allen. Scheme is great and all, but there are times when you just need your quarterback to make a tight-window timing throw with authority. No problem here. pic.twitter.com/UI9JhfYWjD— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 14, 2024
On his first touchdown pass to Allen, Williams makes a tight window timing throw that Bears fans simply aren’t accustomed to seeing, at least not from someone wearing a Bears jersey. That throw has to be absolutely perfect to work, and it was.
But it wasn’t just the touchdown throws that impressed me this week. How about this perfect toss to Keenan Allen, where Williams drills a fastball to Allen in between the linebacker and corner on the slant route:
Caleb Williams' first touchdown pass to Keenan Allen. Scheme is great and all, but there are times when you just need your quarterback to make a tight-window timing throw with authority. No problem here. pic.twitter.com/UI9JhfYWjD— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 14, 2024
People who say these performances count less because they’re against inferior opponents aren’t watching or comprehending how difficult these throws are. Save for the first touchdown to Kmet or the missed score to Moore, we’re not watching busted coverages or Williams hitting lay-ups. Instead, we’re watching him make tight-window throws and timing throws that the best of the best in this league are capable of making.
These are special throws. They’re special reads and decisions that require a high football IQ, elite-level vision and processing, and the arm talent to back it up. Williams has all of those, and we’re seeing those attributes in action with more and more regularity each week.
Williams is by no means a finished product, but he is already a damn good quarterback who makes elite throws every week.