It’s a work in progress for the Chicago Bears, and more needs to be done. But they have tasted late-game success. Also, the Bears have a mind-blowing third-down stat that highlights the development of quarterback Caleb Williams, according to a post on X by Ian Hartitz.
“Bears have the NFL's fourth-best 3rd down conversion rate despite having the second-longest average distance for a 1st down on 3rd downs (a Caleb Williams chart)”
The Bears are off in Week 5, basking in the momentum of two straight victories. They whipped the Cowboys, 31-14, and came from behind to beat the Raiders, 25-24. A case could be made that they should be 3-1, but a late-game collapse cost them a season-opening win against the Vikings.
QB Caleb Williams showing signs of improvement
It’s not just the third-down play, either. Williams has gotten much better against defensive pressure, according to a post on X by Tonby Holzman-Escareno.
“Caleb Williams has the highest pass TD-INT ratio (6 TD, 0 INT) and passer rating (136.3) vs the blitz this season (per @NextGenStats)”
Williams’ footwork seems to be much better under the tutelage of head coach Ben Johnson. There seems to be no doubt Williams will be better with Johnson’s daily coaching, according to The Athletic.
“I would just say my footwork and then just being more comfortable with everything that Ben and the guys have thrown at me, just being able to grasp it all, but also be able to go out there and play a game and play it well for the team,” Williams said about what he’s proud of and where he sees room for improvement. “That’s most important.”
And the Bears try to make things happen with the approach of building on the positives.
“Once we get our first down, that’s when we start rolling,” Williams said. “That’s within each drive. That’s something that we’re conscious of, something that we’re working our tail off to be at and get to, is to get that first first down each and every single time we go out there. From there, everybody gets into a rhythm, gets rolling.”
