Do the Bears Have a QB Problem?
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Chicago Bears, 30-16, on Sunday afternoon in M&T Bank Stadium. This loss puts an end to the Bears’ four-game winning streak, and they sit at 4-3 on the season. The Ravens would be without quarterback Lamar Jackson once again, setting up Tyler Huntley to take on the impressive Bears defense. Unfortunately for Chicago, the defense would be without two of its starting cornerbacks, Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson. Both players would be injured in their previous game against the New Orleans Saints, causing a giant hole in Chicago’s defense that Huntley was able to exploit with 186 passing yards and a touchdown. For the Bears quarterback, it was a completely different story.
Quarterback Caleb Williams would have another week of underwhelming play. He completed 25 of 38 attempts, throwing for 285 yards and an interception with no touchdowns. It’s now two weeks in a row without a touchdown for Williams, and more overthrows and miscues. The Bears’ offense wouldn’t score 21 or more points for the first time this season, as they would struggle to get the ball into the end zone despite having multiple long drives into the red zone. Now that Chicago was unable to secure a win this time, the fans are questioning whether Williams could be holding the team back.
Williams hasn’t played sharply the past few games, although this is still a brand-new offense under the new head coach. The team has begun to learn how to win close games, which is an encouraging sign that head coach Ben Johnson can get things right with the organization. Learning a brand-new offense after playing just one full season in the league is a tough ask for any quarterback. For the Bears, it may just take time before the fans and the team see the results they wanted out of Williams when they drafted him in 2024. The performances haven’t been perfect, but Williams has shown signs of growth, especially his connection with wide receiver Rome Odunze. Chicago will look to turn things around and travel to take on the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday at noon.
