Incremental improvements.
That’s the name of the game with Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
It’s still too early for wins and losses to matter. Is the system starting to work? Is Williams developing?
And while it doesn’t look pretty, we have some evidence that Williams, especially, is improving.
That was no more apparent than his connection to fellow rookie Rome Odunze, which we saw develop in real time in Indianapolis.
I’m not shying away from the fact that the offensive line looks worse than we thought it would and that guys are getting beat outright. I also acknowledge there have been some questionable play calls, in particular in the red zone and goal-to-go situations, though the Bears are 60 percent on the season in such situations. A lot is being put on Williams’ plate and he’s still learning things like how long it should take to audible.
But for now, I want to focus on what Williams was able to do in this game with his fellow rookie. Both Williams and Odunze getting on the same page this quickly is good news given that they are going to be together for a long time.
Odunze caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s loss. There was still room for that to be improved too, given that Williams targeted him 11 times. Two of Odunze’s catches went for 27 yards or more. Williams finally completed multiple passes over 15 yards (seven in fact), which was a feat he hadn’t accomplished coming into the game.
Let’s take a look at the chemistry between Williams and Odunze, including their first touchdown connection, which happened to be Williams’ first TD pass as a professional.
There are quite a few things that went wrong here, but it didn’t ultimately matter, which is a good sign for Williams, albeit a not-so-good one for the offense as a whole.
The Colts are showing pressure, with six guys on the line of scrimmage, which already outmatches the Bears’ offensive line. As the play goes on, the interior gets beat outright.
The good news is Shane Waldron has 12 personnel on the field (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers) with both tight ends attached to the formation, clearly staying in to protect. That’s good, because Indy isn’t done yet with the six guys on the line, three linebackers come in to join the party after the ball is snapped. The Colts were banking on overloading the Bears’ protection scheme, which they did, but Williams got the ball out quicker.
The rush not beating the throw is bad news for the Colts given that both receivers that actually released into routes have single coverage. Odunze beats his guy easily on the out route in the end zone and Williams has no trouble letting go of the ball before Odunze gets there. In fact, it’s so well-timed that Williams can see Odunze breaking, ensuring he’s going to be open, before he has to fire to the spot he expects Odunze to get to. It speaks volumes to the chemistry the two are building and the confidence Williams has in his fellow rookie.
It was also a good sign that Williams stood in the pocket and waited for the throw ever so slightly given that a Colts defender was basically in his lap as he let go of the ball. The protection needs to get better. Williams needs to have more time and not feel like he’s about to get hit on each dropback. But the play calling and decision-making of Williams need to reflect the reality that he isn’t being given much time to throw. This touchdown was evidence of all of that coming together.
The only question is now… who keeps the ball?
Carmen Vitali is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.
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