Bear Digest

What Caleb Williams has achieved and still can for the Bears

The marks and standards quarterback Caleb Williams has put up while leading the Bears to within two wins and a Seattle loss of the top seed in the NFC.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams escapes the pocket against the Packers in last week's 22-16 overtime win by the Bears.
Caleb Williams escapes the pocket against the Packers in last week's 22-16 overtime win by the Bears. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will not make Ben Johnson's goal of 70% completions this year unless he completes 201 passes without an incompletion in the last two games.

Obviously, that's not happening, and if it did his arm would probably fall out of the socket. However, the satisfactory tradeoff is 11 wins and four losses with a chance still at top seed in the NFC.

Williams has completed only 57.8% (285 of 493) and has the lowest completion percentage of any starting quarterback to lead his team into the playoffs since Andrew Luck completed 54.1% in 2012. 

Williams is achieving and has hit other milestones and statistical improvements that make this season an individual success, as well as a team achievement.

Here are Williams' best contributions and what he can yet do.

1. 32 starts

Availability is the best ability, as any NFL player and coach insists. In that case, Williams has been a tremendous success. He hasn't missed a game since coming into the league last year.

Only eight NFL quarterbacks can say they've started 32 regular-season games the last two seasons. Jared Goff, Sam Darnold, Bo Nix, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Jordan Love and Baker Mayfield are the only others besides Williams to do it. Love's streak is in jeopardy but reports in Green Bay say he could play this week despite the concussion he suffered last week against the Bears.

Part of Williams' durability so far could be traced simply to his body type, according to Johnson.

"I think he's built a certain way that helps him withstand some of these hits  because it's not for lack of taking hits," Johnson said. "Certainly, last year he got hit a lot, and then this year even though the sack numbers are down a little bit he's still getting hit quite a bit. He takes his training serious in the offseason and I think that carries over to the year and so he's able to withstand some of this stuff.”

By build, Johnson sees leg strength as a key.

"I think he's very strong in his core and in his legs," Johnson said. "And I think that's why it is very difficult to bring him down in the pocket. You see all of these guys that feel like they have him dead to rights, he finds a way to escape. It's not just his quickness but also his strength as well.”

2. Interception free

Williams will set an NFL mark for most games without an interception in a QB's first two years if he goes without an interception against the 49ers. It would be 23 games.

3. Most Bears yards

Williams breaks Erik Kramer's 3,838-yard passing mark set in 1995 if he throws for 439 yards. The possibility remains strong he'll break that record. He's averaging 226.7 per game, so he gets the record by simply hitting his average two straight games. The thing is, the Bears still need to have things to play for if he's piling up statistics. Otherwise, sitting out part or all of the final is always a possibility.

4. TD time

With five TD passes in his final two games, Williams would break Erik Kramer's team record of 29 set in 1995.

5. Captain comeback

With another one, it would be Williams' seventh fourth-quarterback and game-winning drive this season. He comes into Week 17 leading the league. 

It's a team thing, Williams said of late comebacks.

“I think it's really just us," Williams said. "Realizing that it isn't necessarily the other team that's actually stopping us. Yes, teams are going to make plays versus teams, they get paid and there are good players in this league.

"We've played vs. some of the best players in this league. I think that's where it's come from. The mindset just changes. A play happens and the spark becomes a fire and we're ignited at that point.”

Williams' ability to bring them back for the last win isn't a shock to his coaches.

"It's something that we see in practice and we've seen that continue to get better really since we've been here," offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. "That has been a big point of emphasis for him. It's something that him and (quarterbacks coach) J.T. Barrett have drilled. It's something that we spend time and talk about.

"In a big moment with the brightest lights to be able to go execute and do that, it was awesome to be able to go see that. But that's something that we're going to expect from him on a regular basis just because that's what he's capable of. It's about just doing that consistently now day-in and day-out and then on Sundays.”

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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.