Following a few shaky performances to begin a much-hyped pro career, on Sunday, Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams quieted some of the naysayers who were concerned that his trajectory was looking a little too similar to Bryce Young's in Carolina. In Chicago's 24-18 win over the short-handed Rams, Williams had his cleanest and most consistent performance yet.
Though the numbers weren't spectacular by any means — 157 yards and 1 touchdown — 11-year NFL veteran and longtime analyst Brian Baldinger did a great job of breaking down the tape and highlighting some of the key improvements that Caleb Williams has made over the last four weeks.
.@ChicagoBears @CALEBcsw a small step forward in Caleb's development. Trust in protection. Delivering the ball with good timing. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/LXyzq4tkzu
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 30, 2024
In that video, Baldinger notes how the tape shows that Williams has begun adjusting to the speed of the game, gaining trust in the offensive line and developing chemistry with his receivers. These are all facets that were going to take time, but impatient fans, myself included, foolishly hoped we would see a fully finished product when Williams made his debut.
That was never going to be the case, no matter how hard we wished it to be true. But it's a tremendous sign that Caleb Williams has grown this much in just four weeks.
Three-phase effort leads Bears to win over Rams

The Chicago Bears had a week to stew over a disheartening Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in which the offense, defense and special teams all had their respective lowlights. Week 4 wasn't just a redemption week for Caleb Williams. It was one for the entire team.
“At the end of the game, you could feel all three phases, really, to seal the deal on the game,” head coach Matt Eberflus said after the game, per Chris Emma of 670 The Score.
Offensively, this bounce back started earlier in the week when Caleb Williams decided to take it upon himself to become more involved with the game planning and improve the lines of communication with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
“That was the main point of emphasis throughout the week, and obviously us having open communication is most important. Us having communication, myself being better at communicating, whether it’s game day or throughout the week, I had to be better.”
Williams was better, and the offense as a whole was as a result. After accounting for just 114 yards of total offense in his first three games of the season, running back D'Andre Swift tallied 165 yards of total offense on 23 touches against the Rams while finding the end zone for the first time as a Bear.
In the other two facets of the game, the Bears were just as polished against the Rams. The Bears D turned Matthew Stafford over twice, once early, leading to a Roschon Johnson touchdown, and again late, on a Jaquan Brisker interception that sealed the win for Chicago. Before that game-winning pick, it was rookie punter Tory Taylor who pinned the Rams deep in their own territory with under two minutes to go.
After the game, All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson summed up the performance best:
“We played complementary football and came out with a win.”