The Chicago Bears’ 1-2 start to the season has left fans feeling quite let down. But this season, more than anything else, will depend on whether Caleb Williams proves to be the Bears’ franchise quarterback in the future. Even though he has had many ups and downs throughout the first two weeks of the regular season, he showed some hopeful signals on Sunday.
3. Caleb Williams’s numbers have increased.
After throwing for 267 yards overall in Weeks 1 and 2, Williams threw for 363 yards in Week 3. During the first two weeks, he did not throw any touchdowns, although he did have two.
According to PFF, he had his lowest turnover-worthy pass of the season on Sunday, despite throwing two interceptions. According to PFF, Williams also had his first two big-time throws of the season down the field.
2. Caleb Williams is an offensive player for the Chicago Bears.
Playing inside the offence is among Williams’ better moves this season. According to PFF, he ranks 15th among qualified quarterbacks with a time to throw of 2.76 this season.
When it comes to the percentage of dropbacks that result in him retaining the ball for 2.5 seconds or longer, Williams is ranked 27th. Overall, he has played within the offence, but it is balanced out by keeping the ball longer when he does, which is why some in the media are harping on this.
The problem lies in the poor quality of the offence he is playing in. If he can get the ball out in less than 2.5 yards per attempt, he is ranked 33rd. Thus, he performs poorly in the plays that he does most often. Williams is 30th in yards per attempt on screens, however he is sixth in the proportion of his passes that are a screen. The argument is more likely to be that Williams needs greater freedom to play as he is being overly restricted.
1. Caleb Williams’ accuracy is increasing
The most concerning aspect of Williams after Week 1 was his accuracy. The scouting report did not contain that information. Nevertheless, since the season began, we have seen Williams transform from wildly unpredictable to a more composed quarterback.
After Week 1, Williams’ completion rate was -19.8%, based on the completion rate over expectation. Twenty percent fewer passes were being completed by him than by most typical quarterbacks. He was at 1.3% in Week 2 and 2.7 this week in the positive. His completed air yards per attempt increased from 1.6 in week one to 1.2 in week two, and finally to 4.7 last week, making this remarkable. This reinforces the notion that Williams might be given more freedom to throw the ball down the field and create more space in the pocket by the coaching staff.
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