Caleb Williams' highly anticipated NFL debut with the Chicago Bears on Monday night was a tale of two halves. The young quarterback started with a dazzling display of precision, completing his first ten passes, including a nine-yard touchdown run, and leading the Bears to an early seven-point advantage. This flawless opening drive, lasting over five minutes, showcased the potential that has generated so much excitement around the Bears' new offensive strategy. His head coach, Ben Johnson, aims for a 70% completion rate this season, a target Williams seemed well on his way to achieving in the first half. By halftime, he boasted an impressive 81.2% completion rate (13 of 16 passes).
However, the second half told a drastically different story. Williams' accuracy plummeted, completing only 8 of 19 passes (42.1%), a significant drop-off that ranked 28th in the league for Week 1. Several key throws, including crucial opportunities in the red zone, sailed wide of their intended receivers. These missed opportunities, coupled with a less effective run game and increased pressure from the Vikings' defense (a 30% blitz rate in the first half rising to 43.5% in the second), contributed to the Bears' 27-24 defeat.
The contrasting performances sparked immediate analysis. While Williams attributed some of the second-half struggles to penalties and batted passes, the stark difference in his accuracy raised questions about pressure management and maintaining focus throughout the game. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle emphasized the importance of reading defenses and utilizing secondary options when primary targets are unavailable, a strategy Williams implemented effectively at the start but seemingly abandoned later in the game. The game ended with Williams at a 60% completion rate, a figure significantly lower than his first-half performance.
The Bears' coaching staff, aware of the need for improvement, will be looking to improve the efficiency of the quarterback in practice, before facing a motivated Lions team, with a shorter-than-usual period to work on a remedy to the issue. The question remains: is the dazzling opening drive a better indication of Williams' capabilities, or the disappointing second half? Ultimately, his true potential lies somewhere in between, and the Bears need him to find consistency to avoid such extreme fluctuations in performance.
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Originally published at: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6612362/2025/09/09/bears-caleb-williams-accuracy-vikings/
