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Caleb Williams looked like a rookie quarterback in his NFL debut

Vaseline September 9, 2024

CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams made his NFL debut with the Chicago Bears and looked like a starting quarterback.

Except he won.

Williams passed for just 93 yards on Sunday and Chicago’s offense struggled against Tennessee. But Williams had no turnovers and the Bears used their defense and special teams to rally for an improbable 24-17 victory about the Titans.

“It’s great to get this first win, of course,” Williams said. “And we’re all excited, went into the locker room, celebrated. I sat down, enjoyed the moment. And just looking at the other guys, I understand that I have to get better. I will get better.”

Playing with painted nails with the text #18 THE BEARSThe 22-year-old Williams became the first QB selected No. 1 overall in the draft and won his first career start since David Carr in 2002. He also joined John Elway, Terry Bradshaw and Steve Bartkowski as the only quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall in the common draft era to pass for fewer than 100 yards in the season opener.

He missed a few throws. He held the ball too long at times. But he also had the game in his hands at the very last moment, kneeling down twice before leaving Soldier Field with the victory.

“We didn’t perform the way we wanted to. We want to be the most efficient team, myself included,” Williams said. “Didn’t perform the way I wanted to. I missed a couple of passes that I normally don’t miss. All those other things.”

Chicago is hoping Williams can solve a long-running quarterback problem for the founding NFL franchise. The dynamic playmaker excelled at Oklahoma and Southern California before being drafted by the Bears with the top overall pick in April.

For a quarterback who was selected first overall in the draft, Williams is surrounded by an unusually large array of talent. DJ Moore had 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Keenan Allen was acquired in a March trade with the Chargers, and Rome Odunze was the No. 9 pick in the first round this year.

Those three wide receivers, along with new running back D’Andre Swift, were all held in check by Tennessee while Williams got his first taste of NFL speed in the regular season.

“When you start a rookie quarterback, which we do, he’s going to have ups and downs and good moments and other moments,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “Like I said, we just have to play well around him, make sure the operation is clean, make sure we don’t lose the ball and give people short fields and open plays. And it’s OK to end the series with a punt.”

After going three-and-out on their first possession, Chicago reached the Tennessee 25 on their second possession. But the drive stalled when Williams attempted to spin away from two pass rushers and was sacked for a loss of 19 yards.

DeAndre Carter’s 67-yard kickoff return led to a 24-yard field goal by Cairo Santos late in the first half, setting up Williams’ first scoring drive of the day.

“He was himself,” Moore said of Williams. “He never got too high or too low about anything. So that was good.”

Chicago trailed 17-10 late in the third period when Williams showed on two plays how much he has to learn and how much he can expect. He threw an incomplete pass Moore’s way after he had Odunze open. But then he ran 11 yards on third-and-10.

“I don’t think there was any fear. He was calm, cool and collected the whole time,” Eberflus said. “He never got frustrated. We always talk to him about the reaction you have to just keep going, because sometimes it can get intense on both sides. It can get intense. You just have to keep going.”

Williams was 14 for 29 passing, and he was sacked twice. He also rushed for 15 yards. While Williams did a good job protecting the ball, Titans quarterback Will Levis threw two interceptions — including one that was returned for Chicago’s go-ahead TD — and had a fumble.

“I don’t care about the stats. … To be honest with you, I feel great,” Williams said. “I understand that the stats obviously weren’t where I wanted them to be and stuff like that, because I want to go out there and perform the best I can. I didn’t do that today. We’re going to be better tomorrow.”