When you throw four touchdown passes in a nationally televised game in London, what you do on the ground with your legs can be forgotten.
But Caleb Williams doesn’t get to loft a short touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet on a route they adjusted together before the game if he doesn’t run the ball the way he did against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The two longest gains on the Chicago Bears’ 10-play, 85-yard scoring drive in the second quarter were scrambles by Williams.
On first-and-10 from the Bears’ 26, Williams escaped for a 23-yard gain before sliding at midfield. His second was a 19-yard run down to the Jaguars’ 2 on second-and-7 from the 21. It included a pump fake before running and then lowering his shoulder into cornerback Montaric Brown near the goal line. On the next play, Williams hit Kmet for his second touchdown.
“That’s always an important piece,” coach Matt Eberflus said Monday. “You see different quarterbacks in the league that can use their feet at a high level but also are very accurate passers. I think that’s a one-two punch you provide when you have an athletic quarterback.”
This is where this week’s five takeaways column begins.
1. Williams’ unique running style works in the NFL.
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron included the read option for Williams in the game plan for the Jaguars, and it worked twice. But throughout the first six weeks, Williams has displayed how much of a threat he can be.
Williams has shown he can quickly evade rushers in the pocket. He can strongly spin out of sacks and set up defenders for blocks with his quickness.
He can bounce around in traffic while keeping his eyes on his progressions and receivers. And then when he breaks the line of scrimmage, he can maneuver around would-be tacklers and avoid contact by getting out of bounds or sliding.
It’s what he did in college, and now he’s doing it in the NFL. Williams moves around with a feel — with anticipation. It’s different from other quarterbacks, including Justin Fields, who is faster. Williams just doesn’t tuck the ball and take off for whatever he can get. He is methodical.
GO DEEPER
How Bears QB Caleb Williams bounced back from an early INT to put on a show in London
Asked about Williams’ running style, Eberflus mentioned his quarterback’s experience playing running back in youth football and then joked about how Williams also played linebacker.
“I have to check the details on that, but running back for sure,” he said. “He’s strong. He’s a strong player in the pocket, and he’s strong in the open field. He has the ability to square you up and then capture the edges and also be strong enough to be able to escape when people do have him in the grasp. He’s a hard get. He’s done a good job of that so far.”
2. Keenan Allen can still do Keenan Allen-like things.
The veteran wideout had a quiet, unproductive start to the season. That included missing a touchdown catch in the opener against the Tennessee Titans. He later missed two games with a heel injury.
But Allen finally had his breakout game in London, making five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns. Four of his catches came on third-and-5, third-and-8, third-and-goal from the 9 (touchdown) and fourth-and-3.
His touchdown catches weren’t gimmes, either. On the first one, Williams threaded his pass between two Jaguars linebackers for a back-shoulder catch in the end zone.
Heck of a throw from @CALEBcsw
📺: #JAXvsCHI on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/3hsylmTqLL— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
“We had different throws that we’ve practiced,” Williams said after the game. “Getting the extra reps, I think, helps out. Sometimes we get a few extra reps in an individual drill or after practice and things like that. I think it definitely helped out. All the hard work and extra work that we’re putting in, it has been great.”
It’s an example of the improving rapport between a first-year quarterback and a veteran receiver in his 12th season.
“He’s been with a lot of different quarterbacks over the years, and he’s done a really good job of adjusting to those guys,” Eberflus said. “He has a lot of different ways that he runs different routes, and I think that you have to learn that. That’s what makes him a hard cover because he’ll run one route three different ways, so you’ve got to really understand what he’s doing there, and the communication has to be there between the quarterback and him. I think the guys have done a really good job of that, learning each other and learning how to do things differently based on coverage.”
GO DEEPER
Next men up deliver for Bears in London: Cole Kmet at long snapper, backup DBs
3. One of the best aspects of Williams’ recent improvement is that it has included spreading the ball around to all of his best weapons on offense.
Every week, there’s a new storyline at receiver. This week, it was Allen and Kmet each catching two touchdown passes. Last week against the Carolina Panthers, DJ Moore led the Bears in touchdowns and receiving yards.
A week before that against the Los Angeles Rams, running back D’Andre Swift led the team in catches, touches and yards from scrimmage. In Week 3 at the Indianapolis Colts, rookie receiver Rome Odunze had a team-best 112 receiving yards.
Get the point?
Williams’ success isn’t the result of keying on one receiver. The ball is being shared. And it’s working. After six weeks, the Bears have five players with at least 15 catches.
“With the receiving room that we got, with the weapons that we do have, running backs, tight ends, receivers, himself running the ball as a quarterback, I don’t think you need to look at one person — versus you have, like, a Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and the rest is just guys,” Allen told reporters in London. “No disrespect to those guys, but you got Justin Jefferson, you got to get him the ball every damn play. We got guys you can get the ball to.”
GO DEEPER
Greenberg: Caleb Williams, Bears showing that a new day is dawning in Chicago
4. Kyler Gordon is one of the Bears’ best players, and losing him for any stretch would be difficult.
Before Gordon suffered a hamstring injury Sunday, he made seven tackles, including one for a loss. His best play was getting through a block from receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to stop tight end Evan Engram for a 1-yard gain on third-and-3. It punctuated a three-and-out for the Bears defense after Williams was intercepted.
“(Gordon) was having one of his better games, and he’s had quite a few of them,” Eberflus said. “He’s a special player in there. The way he moves and contorts his body in different ways, that’s why I nicknamed him Spider-Man. He is very dynamic in there as a nickel. He’s one of the best nickels in football. He’s a really good pressure player, good coverage player, good in short area in terms of our zone or man concepts.”
5. The Bears’ willingness to bench Nate Davis can be viewed as a positive if they want it to be.
Davis wasn’t a backup in London. He was inactive. It’s a telling development for a player whom the Bears have tried to challenge since training camp. Veteran backup Bill Murray is now ahead of Davis on the depth chart.
“We felt like going with eight (offensive linemen) for us provided what we needed for the game, and we were OK with doing that,” Eberflus said. “Again, I’ve got to just give Nate a lot of credit here. He’s been a pro’s pro. He’s done a really good job of staying engaged, working every week, and again, we’re going to need all these players, and they know that.”
Davis is in the second season of a three-year, $30 million contract. The deal looks like a miss for general manager Ryan Poles. And that’s OK. All GMs have their mistakes. But the Bears aren’t letting it turn into more on game days. Similar to the Chase Claypool fiasco, sometimes it’s best to move on and find answers elsewhere.
(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
