These stats could be interesting omens for the Bears’ passing game going forward

In any win or loss, there will be statistics that give you pause—for good reasons and bad ones.

For example, Chicago’s first-half struggles were reflected in a bunch of numbers: 32 passing yards from Caleb Williams. Six first downs. 1-for-7 on third down. 71 total yards on offense. The second half, though, was a different story as Williams got hot to finish with 186 passing yards and the Bears dominated the time of possession 20:13 to 9:47 to push the Packers to the brink.

There were a couple more advanced metrics, however, that stood out about the Bears’ passing game on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. Interestingly, they contain both elements of concern and building blocks for better performances.

“Ben Johnson very clearly wanted to do whatever he could to avoid making Caleb Williams a sitting target for Micah Parsons in the backfield. This was one of the heaviest boot and play-action game plans I've ever seen for an offense. The Bears typically use play-action on just under 33% of their dropbacks, which is one of the highest rates in the league. On Sunday, that jumped to 60.5%, the highest rate for any quarterback in a single game all season and the eighth-highest rate in a single game over the past decade,” Barnwell wrote.

“Look at what Williams did and you can understand why Johnson leaned into moving his quarterback around. Williams went 14-of-22 for 144 yards with two touchdown throws and a pick using play-action, but he was just 5-of-13 for 42 yards as a dropback passer. He started slow and was just 1-of-7 for 2 yards in the first quarter, but as the game wore along, he improved. He was 13-of-21 for 154 yards with two scores and a pick in the second half without taking any sacks.”

On one hand, you might look at these numbers and simply shrug. So what if the Bears moved the pocket a lot and relied heavily on play-action? Wouldn’t you do the same if you had to face Micah Parsons? Plus, the approach clearly worked in the second half as Williams’ natural feel for throwing outside of the pocket led to some spectacular plays (minus that last throw).

On the other, though, you might be forgiven for looking at the pure dropback passing stats Barnwell listed and cringing a little. That’s deinitely not good, and some of the missed connections there were on him.

That said, here’s a positive: Williams clearly has leaned into Johnson’s love of play-action and is thriving with it, as evidenced by how it jumpstarted his resurgence. Looking for another? Chicago has a blueprint for success in slowing down high-powered edge rushers just in time to see Cleveland Browns megastar Myles Garrett next week and Parsons again the week after.

Sure, it’d be great if Williams could simply sit back in the pocket and carve opposing defenses up right now, even against heavy pressure. Right now, he can’t. But his and Johnson’s ability to work together to find what works best for him has been a bright spot for this offense as the year has progressed. Plus, Williams’ otherwordly off-platform talents make up for much of what he struggles with right now.

If Chicago can keep neutralizing aggressive pass rushes—more screens to Luther Burden III, please—and keeping Williams on the move, the Bears will likely be able to get enough out of their passing offense to win some critical games down the stretch.

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