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Chicago Bears React to Losing Caleb Williams in 9-3 defeat by Vikings

The hamstring injury suffered by Caleb Williams, numerous penalties and a key goal-line turnover by D'Andre Swift made for a terrible Week 2 loss.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams kneeling after he went down to the set Soldier Field turf with a hamstring injury.
Caleb Williams kneeling after he went down to the set Soldier Field turf with a hamstring injury. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

CHICAGO — Bears coach Ben Johnson had the same feeling teammates of Caleb Williams did when they saw their quarterback go down a few yards short of the end zone in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Maybe Jaylon Johnson's reaction to Williams' hamstring injury best summed up what the full team thought at the time.

"Oh (excrement)," Johnson said his first thought was. "And then figuring it out from there. It's the team that battles through adversity. It's a part of the game. We need him obviously. Hopefully he's able to get back soon."

The Bears couldn't battle through adversity well enough with or without Williams Sunday, but now they're going to have to experience real adversity like many teams in the NFL do when they lose their passer. The Vikings did on Sunday, and lived to tell about it. Or at least they were without the quarterback who started their season as No. 1, Kyler Murray. Carson Wentz did enough to win, going 11 of 20 for 143 yards.

Williams always seems like a rubber ball. He bounces back repeatedly and has never missed a game. It seems impossible he would avoid time away after Sunday's injury on a first-and-goal play from the 6. It was a play that seemed so needless because he could have simply flipped it to Colston Loveland and taken a 3- or 4-yard gain, possibly a score if his tight end breaks a tackle.

Because of Williams' playing style, he'd need to be 100% healthy to play like he normally does. All of that darting around and then running it or throwing it demands a toll from the hamstrings.

"I've never seen him go down like that and be down like that," wide receiver Rome Odunze said. "He usually pops back up. I've seen him pop back up from hits, all sorts of things.

"So definitely not a great feeling but instantly praying for him and know he's going to be back as soon as he can."

Johnson said only that they'll know more tomorrow about Williams' hamstring injury and its severity. When you go down like you've been punched, and might have otherwise had a chance to score or put the ball near the 1-yard line, then it can't be good.

"I’m actually happy that it’s nothing with the knee," Ben Johnson said. "That was my first inclination but yet the hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there. But quickly, you’ve got to turn the page, particularly when you’re right there. We needed points desperately at that point and, you know, it’s a shame."

The shame was they had the tying field goal, just a chip shot, and it was blocked. Also, they had go-ahead points in the third quarter when at the goal line and D'Andre Swift lost the ball. Tack on their eight penalties for 58 yards and the Bears couldn't help but feel they should be 2-0.

Backup Tyson Bagent hadn't really played meaningful minutes beyond a trick play since 2023. He stepped in and although the field goal was blocked, he took them back down with a chance to win it at the end. They were at the 12 with six seconds left but first an incompletion and finally a sack by Will Turner ended it

"Last play, yeah, it got kind of hairy for me but unacceptable on my end," Bagent said. "But you've got to at least give someone a chance (and throw it)."

A few of the Bears thought the rain throughout the game played a role in the outcome, and possibly even in Williams' injury. In the end, they all acknowledged both teams played in it. After all, the Vikings are the dome team.

"Chicago football, it's expected," wide receiver Luther Burden said. "It don't matter the conditions. We've got to play to our standard. I'm sure we'll be better."

It seems likely it will have to be with Bagent and not Williams at QB, for now at least.

While all of the Bears are down about losing Williams, they're at least as down about their blown opportunities and mistakes. The blocked field goal, the fumble by Swift in the third quarter when they could have led 10-6, and numerous other mistakes added up.

"Yeah it was kind of like that all day, penalties, things like that," Swift said. "Even at the end we had a chance to win the game. If I don't give the ball up and we get points right there it might be a different outcome for us."

Ultimately, in 17 games the outcome of this one will matter much less than the player who went out with the injury earlier in the fourth quarter.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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