Bear Digest

4 reasons not to buy the Caleb Williams breakout narrative... yet

Caleb Williams' epic performance in Week 3 was a lifeline to Chicago Bears fans, but he still has a long way to go.
Pete Martuneac|
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears fans were treated to arguably the best performance yet from their quarterback Caleb Williams on Sunday. He torched the Dallas Cowboys to the tune of 298 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a career-best 142.6 passer rating. Pro Football Focus gave Caleb Williams strong marks for Week 3, assigning him a 76.1 grade. That brings Williams' PFF grade for the season to 78.1, good for 13th best in the NFL.

This epic Week 3 win over the Cowboys rejuvenated the Bears fanbase and it keeps their dim playoff hopes alive for at least another week. However, I would caution Bears fans not to get out over their skis just yet. While this was a phenomenal game from Williams, there's plenty of reasons to believe that things will once again get worse before they get better. Here's why.

1. Quarterback development is rarely linear.

This reason is more general and not specific to Williams, but Bears fans need to hear it. The reason why you didn't give up on Williams after that questionable Week 1 performance is the same reason why you shouldn't crown him as the franchise quarterback now. Young quarterbacks go through a ton of peaks and valleys and while Williams is currently at a peak, before long he'll be back in a valley.

2. We've seen this before.

It's easy to forget after the way the 2024 season went for the Chicago Bears, but there was a point where the Bears were 4-2, just behind the Lions for the division lead, and Williams had strung together back-to-back dominant performances. We all know what happened next.

The same thing could happen again in 2025, though perhaps not to such an extreme degree. Williams dominated the Cowboys and he may do the same to Las Vegas next week, but that still won't mean that he's arrived.

3. The Cowboys are a mess.

This is somewhat unfair as a criticism; Williams can only play who is in front of him. But the fact remains that the Cowboys are currently in a lurch, especially on defense. Williams dismantled them, but that's exactly what he should have done. The praise for his game is still well deserved regardless of the Cowboys' horrible defense, but it can't be completely ignored.

4. Despite all the good in Sunday's game, there was plenty of bad.

I understand if Bears fans only want to remember and relive the unbelievable highlight plays from Williams on Sunday. He made some elite throws that very few NFL quarterbacks can make. But don't forget about the bad. Williams missed some layups in that game that no NFL quarterback should miss. Whether it was throwing behind open receivers or passes that hit the turf five yards in front of the receiver, some of Williams' reps were inexcusable.

The electric plays, the deep bombs to speedy receivers are great, but those are sugary, empty dessert calories. Routine, simple plays are the meat and potatoes of every franchise quarterback and until Williams masters these, his future will remain uncertain.

Caleb William
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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