Caleb Williams, the quarterback for the Chicago Bears, is looking for ways to build on the positives from their tough loss to Green Bay.
It would be easier to focus on the positives if not for the blocked field goal that ended the game in a 20-19 defeat, but Williams was able to find some good things. He pointed out that it all started with how the new offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown, planned the game and called the plays.
“It started with him stringing things together and doing a good job with that and getting everybody into a rhythm and not necessarily thinking of what’s next?” Williams said on Wednesday. “Or anything like that. We kind of had an idea of what’s next, and from there you go out there, you play, and you play efficient football, it gives you the best chance to win.”
Brown replaced Shane Waldron, who was fired, and under his leadership, the Bears gained 113 more yards than their average of 278 yards.
A lot of that came from running the ball, as they rushed for 179 yards. However, that could be at risk this week because coach Matt Eberflus mentioned on Wednesday that running back D’Andre Swift has a groin injury and missed practice.
The Bears also passed for 212 yards, which is 43 more than their average, and improved their third-down performance, converting 56.3% of their attempts.
Williams was credited with converting a fourth-and-3 with a 21-yard pass to Rome Odunze and with putting the Bears in a position for a game-winning field goal. However, Williams gave much of the credit to Brown and the quick play calls.
“We didn’t reinvent the wheel for those three or four (practice) days that Thomas became the offensive coordinator and play caller,” Williams said. “I think the decisiveness, I think all of that came from, one, our meetings, and how we’re going to do things.
I think it came from being able to get play calls in faster and being able to get up there and not feel like you’re rushed or not feel like you need to hurry up and get the ball snapped and things like that.”
“I think all of these small things, details of routes, details of the blocking, details of the path of running backs and how we’re going to do things, I think that led into all of what happened last week.”
The Bears have gone three games without turning the ball over, and keeping that streak going against the Minnesota Vikings’ blitzing defense will be key this week. Minnesota and Buffalo both lead the league with 21 takeaways.
“I think obviously, you know, he’s going to blitz you,” Williams said. “He’s the king of cover-zero blitz and finding a bunch of different ways to do it.”
Eberflus sees Williams as effective against blitzes, should the Vikings use that strategy.
“It starts with his natural ability,” Eberflus said. “His natural ability is to get the ball out fast. Some players don’t have that ability, right? They take it. Their release is slow. But his is very fast.”
“I think it helps him. The recognition, the way we set it up on offense I think will help him also. And it’s just identifying it before the snap, but also it’s natural ability to get the ball out.”
Williams believes something else is just as important as they try to keep building on their success from last week, at least from an offensive perspective.
“I think communication, I think the attitude and I think us just going out there and being on the details, for myself and for the whole team,” Williams said. “I think those three things would be huge for us for this run that we’re going to go on.”
