The conversation would have been entirely different had the Chicago Bears’ defense and special teams not saved the day.
2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams struggled in his NFL debut on Sunday, but the Bears used two non-offensive touchdowns to dig themselves out of a 17-point hole and win, 24-17. In spite of his own tough outing, Williams preferred to celebrate his first victory.
“Yeah, I don't care about stats. I feel great,” he said. “To be honest with you, I feel great.”
Earning a win deserves some mention. Since 1970, quarterbacks taken with the No. 1 overall pick had been 3-14-1 in Week 1 starts prior to Sunday. Williams became the first one of that fraternity to earn a victory in more than 20 years, joining David Carr (2002), John Elway (1983) and Jim Plunkett (1971).
To his credit, Williams didn’t turn the ball over, which is what cost his counterpart, Titans QB Will Levis, dearly. Levis coughed it up three times -- with one of them ending in a Bears touchdown and the last one ending the game.
With the Bears starting 1-0, it’s a lot easier to process Williams’ meager first-game numbers. He completed 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards, overthrowing some open receivers and having at least three throws batted down at the line. According to Next Gen Stats, Williams was 0-of-7 passing on vertical shots.
It wasn’t all Williams, clearly. The run game stalled early. The offensive line, which was rotating right guards throughout the game, wasn’t in sync. Williams’ receivers weren’t perfect, either. Keenan Allen dropped a well-placed out route from Williams that should have been a touchdown; the Bears settled for a field goal.
"Obviously, we didn't perform how we wanted to (offensively),” Williams said. “We want to be the most efficient team out there, myself included. Didn't perform the way I wanted to. I missed a few passes that I normally don't miss. All these other things.”
One of those other things was taking a 19-yard sack that knocked the Bears out of field-goal range in the first half. But Williams did make plays with his legs, escaping multiple pressures and scrambling three times for 17 yards before two end-game kneel downs. His 11-yard pickup on third-and-10 helped save a field-goal drive early in the fourth quarter, cutting the Titans’ lead to 17-13.
Even with context, it was about as quiet a stat line as Williams has had in a football game. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner lit up scoreboards at both Oklahoma and USC, throwing for 10,082 yards in 37 college games.
But when he was asked if he’d ever had as frustrating a game as this, Williams quickly recalled his experience at Notre Dame last year with USC. Williams threw for 199 yards on 37 attempts, threw three interceptions (he had only 14 total in college) and was held to minus-2 yards on 13 rushes, which included six sacks, taking a beating from the Irish defense.
“It was not too far down the road (from Chicago). I hate that you bring it up,” Williams said jokingly. “But, no, (Sunday) was a frustrating game. But the most important thing is that -- and it shows a bunch of the personality of this team, I would say -- the fight, the resiliency that we had.”
Williams credited head coach Matt Eberflus’ halftime speech for rallying the team and credited the defense and special teams for doing the heavy lifting in the victory. For his part, Eberflus said he never saw any panic in Williams -- even at the depths of his struggles.
“I don't think there was any anxiety,” Eberflus said. “He was calm, cool and collected the whole time. Never got frustrated. We always talk to him about the response you have of just hanging in there, because sometimes it can get rough on both sides. It can get rough.
“You've just got to hang in there. You've got to have that belief -- the belief in the man next to you, belief in your teammates. It's not just about one guy. That's what I saw at halftime. They exhibited that in the second half.”
Williams also appreciated the lack of finger-pointing when things were tough.
“We weren't shaming anybody,” Williams said. “The defense was not getting on the offense, all these different things. It shows (Eberflus’) personality, how much everybody believes in ourselves, the Chicago Bears. The defense believes in the offense, the offense believes in the defense, special teams and so forth.
“We're grateful and happy to get this win. Celebrating in the locker room, it was pretty cool, (my) first time celebrating in here.”