Bear Digest

Fixing when Caleb Williams struggles most can solve Bears' air issues

The start to games needs to be much better for the Bears' starting QB, and it's been this way much of the season in terms of accuracy and consistency.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams looks downfield in the loss at Green Bay. His slow starts and inaccuracy are dragging down the passing game.
Caleb Williams looks downfield in the loss at Green Bay. His slow starts and inaccuracy are dragging down the passing game. | Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Caleb Williams' slow starts have reduced the Bears' passing attack to a crawl in the first half of games.

Passing inaccuracy has resulted then in a great disparity between first-half production and production in second halves.

Possibly the main lesson learned by the Bears with their visit last week Lambeau Field was how they need to start fast with their schedule heating up now, or if they get into the playoffs.

“When you play good teams on the road, every little thing matters," coach Ben Johnson said. "All the details matter. We start off on offense with two penalties in the first two drives, and we don't overcome them.

"Every little thing matters, and we just didn't start well enough."

Heating up

This really applies to Williams. What's he even doing in warmups? Perhaps they should have someone monitor him more closely. Maybe they should get him some coffee or something before games?

They went in at halftime with three points, and although they eventually tied it and had a shot again to tie or even win it, they could have made it much easier on themselves.

"We dug ourselves into a hole and it certainly wasn't where we want to start that game," Johnson said.

Williams has completed only 56.5% of his passes in first halves (135 of 239) for a paltry 6.0 yards per attmpt with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. His passer rating then is an abysmal 79.9.

In the last two minutes of the first half, after he's had almost two full quarters to play, his accuracy is even worse. It's not even at the half-and-half mark with 49.2% completions (32 of 65) for 385 yards with three TDs and an interception. His passer rating for that point of the games is 76.8.

Then it all changes in the second half with a 96.3 passer rating and extremely strong 7.7 yards per attempt. His accuracy still needs to be better, but it's at 59.4 and that's 2.9% better than in the first half.

This is a similar trend to last season but he's been even worse this year. Last year his passer rating in the first half was 84.8, 85.5 for the last two minutes of the first half, and 90.2 for the second half.

Johnson acknowledged the problems early in games, and passing inconsistency some might suggest is maddening. It truly is when they consider the spectacular plays he produces, like the TD pass to Olamide Zaccheaus and the ball he dropped in 27 yards downfield to Cole Kmet on the dead run near the sidelines.

“There's certainly some that you can talk about each week where guys are open and we can certainly give him the ball on time and give him a chance to run after catch and all that," Johnson said. "Then, there's that mix of, ‘oh my gosh, that's one of the most incredible plays I've ever seen in my life’ type deal with him.

"So, I do acknowledge your point there. That's something we're striving to do is combine both of those worlds to where we think we're going to have a really good quarterback in this league, a really dangerous quarterback in this league, really dangerous offense, really good team for a long time when we're really able to combine both of those thought processes. So, we're not quite there yet. We're working diligently every day. I've said it every week that you see growth in so many other areas that I think when that last little bit comes along, we're going to be really pleased with where we are.”

Don't blame the game plan

It's not a case where Johnson views Williams as unhappy with the early parts of game plans. He’s cooperating, even enthusiastic about game plans.

“His feedback is, ‘You call it, and I'm going to go ahead and make it work,’ " Johnson said. "That's who he is. He doesn't care. 'You want to start the game with a deep ball, go ahead and call it and I'll make it work. You want to start with quick game, you want to start with screen, whatever.' He really doesn't care."

It's an ideal attitude but the production has been anything but ideal early.

"That's really where you want your quarterback to be," Johnson said. "I appreciate that mindset. I just want us to hit the ground running a little bit better than what we have been.

"We talked a week ago about the passing game needing to improve. That first half, we didn't quite make the strides that we had hoped for over the course of the week. We'll just go back to work again this week and get back after it again.”

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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.