NFL Analysis
9/12/24
4 min read
What Went Wrong for Caleb Williams in His Debut, How He Can Fix It
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams struggled in his NFL debut, but there are a few fixable issues that could help him quickly turn things around in Week 2.
Although the Bears came away with a 24-17 win against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, Williams and the offense failed to score a single touchdown. The No. 1 overall pick completed just 14-of-29 passes for 93 yards, averaging 3.2 yards per attempt.
It was an ugly debut for Williams, but the film shows a handful of opportunities for the Bears rookie to tweak some things and be ready for a better performance in Week 2 against the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football.
Where Caleb Williams Can Improve In Week 2
The deep ball was the most surprising issue for Williams in his NFL debut. He thrived at throwing deep in college, making play after play when pushing the ball vertically for the USC Trojans.
Williams threw 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions when passing the ball 20 or more yards downfield. His 20.3 yards per attempt on deep passes were the second-best in college football behind only Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
Williams didn't complete a single deep ball in Week 1. He went 0-for-3 on deep passes with one turnover-worthy play. His worst attempt came on a double move from Keenan Allen in the third quarter, missing the wide-open receiver for a potential explosive play.
Caleb Williams had a rough day throwing deep.
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) September 12, 2024
This miss shows that Williams was willing to step up in the pocket, but stepped directly into pressure, leading to him throwing without a clean platform. pic.twitter.com/DcnURVjXtc
Although Williams showed the willingness to step up in the pocket on this play, his decision led him straight into pressure. The Titans defender's bull rush led to Williams throwing without a clean platform, resulting in an inaccurate deep ball.
Williams also needs to have a better feel for when to be an off-script playmaker and when to kill a play to move on to the next one. The No. 1 overall pick was an elite playmaker outside of the pocket in college, but NFL pass-rushers are far more disciplined and ready for him as he tries to head to the sideline.
On the play below, Williams evades the first rusher's initial move. He should have thrown the ball away as the second rusher arrived, but instead, he attempted to escape with a spin move. That put him completely out of position to throw the ball away, resulting in a 19-yard sack that took the Bears out of field-goal range.
Caleb Williams sack on this play is twice as much (20 yards) than any single one of his passes (10 yards). pic.twitter.com/ADsFc4C3Ec
— El Harbaughador (@619lexus) September 12, 2024
Even the layups looked hard for Williams on Sunday. After completing 80.6 percent of his passes between 0-9 yards in 2023, he completed just 7-of-13 attempts in that range in Week 1. Simple, short concepts resulted in rushed mechanics and sailed passes on what should have been some of his easiest throws.
The good news for Bears fans is that there were still flashes from Williams. He delivered some nice throws downfield with good timing and tempo. He also could have had his first career passing touchdown in the red zone, but Allen dropped the pass.
Many of these mistakes can be credited to Williams's trying to do too much in his NFL debut. Another week of preparation could help him correct some of these fixable mistakes.
Chicago Faces Another Tough Matchup vs. Texans
The Titans have some good defensive players, but they don't have the stars like the Texans.
Along with a defensive-minded coach in DeMeco Ryans, the Texans have a defense filled with talent, including Will Anderson Jr., Jalen Pitre, Derek Stingley Jr., and Danielle Hunter. Despite giving up some explosive plays to Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, the Texans still rank 13th in defensive DVOA, according to FTN Fantasy.
FanDuel Sportsbook isn't optimistic about Chicago's chances. The Bears are 6.5-point underdogs, and their total points are set at 19.5.
The Bears will also be without first-round rookie WR Rome Odunze, who is week-to-week with a knee injury. Veteran WR Keenan Allen was also out of Wednesday's practice with a heel injury.
Even if the Bears don't win in Week 2, Williams will still have the opportunity to work on some of his biggest areas of improvement from his NFL debut.
