Bear Digest

Caleb Williams falls agonizingly short of Bears history

The Chicago Bears will go another year with a 4,000 yard passer, but they almost didn't have to.
Pete Martuneac|
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

For many years, the Chicago Bears have stood on the receiving end of a not-so-fun piece of sports trivia: they are the only NFL franchise never to see a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards in a season. The New York Jets haven't done this since Joe Namath in 1967, but they are at least on the board. But the Bears? Not once in their 106-year history.

Many fans and analysts expected this shameful drought to end once the Bears drafted college phenom Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Maybe it will one day end, but it is not this day. Following a Week 18 loss to the Lions, Caleb Williams will end his second season with 3,942 passing yards.

Caleb William
David Banks-Imagn Images

Caleb Williams is just getting started

So close. So agonizingly close. Falling just 58 yards short of that milestone is brutal, especially for a player of Williams' caliber. That could easily be made up with one pass, two at the most. But what's done is done, and if Williams is going to be the franchise's first-ever 4,000-yard passer, it will have to be in 2026 or later.

In fairness, both Ben Johnson and Williams did say earlier this week that getting to 4,000 passing yards isn't a priority for them. Williams admitted it'd be cool, but they care about winning above all, and that's the correct answer to give as a player and a coach. But they have to realize what it would mean to these fans and to this city to finally get this monkey of their back.

If there's a silver lining, Williams at least gets the consolation prize of setting a franchise record. His 3,942 passing yards beats Erik Kramer's mark of 3,838 yards set in 1995. Additionally, this was Williams' first year with Ben Johnson. He's just getting started, and he's already posted the best quarterbacking season in franchise history.

At least Bears fans now have a playoff game to look forward to, one that will hopefully wash away the sour taste of just missing out on a 4,000-yard season. With both the Bears and Eagles losing in Week 18, Chicago locked up the No. 2 seed and will welcome the Green Bay Packers to Soldier Field for the Wild Card round. Get ready, Bears fans. It's about to go down.

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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