Why Caleb Williams, Bears offense is struggling

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Chicago Bears avoided disaster in the final moments of Sunday’s 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals when rookie quarterback Caleb Williams limped off the field with an injured left ankle.

Williams said after the game that he was “OK,” but pinning the potential franchise quarterback in the final stages of a blowout raised some eyebrows. Williams said it wasn’t his decision to stay in, and coach Matt Eberflus said Williams was “just working and getting the timing right for the two-minute operation.”

It was noted that Williams was there without his starting two tackles, who were injured, and Eberflus said, “The starters stayed in the game because we’re going to fight until the end.”

Although Williams was not seriously injured, he did suffer from another tough performance. His QBR of 18.4 was the second-lowest of Week 9, ahead of the Indianapolis Colts Joe Flacco‘s 14.7. And there are only four teams that average fewer than the Bears’ 294.6 yards per game.

After a three-game win streak, the Bears have lost two in a row and face a key opportunity against the New England Patriots on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox). According to ESPN BET, the Bears are six-point favorites.

“Like I said every week, this is a week-to-week competition,” Eberflus said when asked if he felt pressure. “It’s important that we stay focused on this week and the improvements for this week and keep an eye on those improvements.”

The Bears entered this season with a revamped offense led by Williams, who was surrounded with new weapons, and offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron. But all that results is inconsistency. These are the problem areas that need to be resolved before the season becomes a lost cause.

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I can’t protect Williams

Williams has been sacked 29 times, the third most in the league. He is on pace to be sacked 62 times this season, which would rank sixth in NFL history.

Arizona pressured Williams by pressuring him on 21 of his 50 dropbacks (42%). It led to six sacks, including on three consecutive plays.

“Get up, keep going,” Williams said to himself as he continued to take hits. “Find a way to win this game.”

Injuries along the Bears’ offensive line forced Chicago to start a tackle on the third string left Larry Borom and replace the right hoist Darnell Wrightwho left the second half with a knee injury, with Jake Curhanwho was taken off the practice squad for the Cardinals game. Poor pass protection resulted in Williams being hit 12 times.

Entering Week 9, Williams had a 31% completion rate on throws with 15 or more air yards in the field, which ranked 29th out of 32 qualified quarterbacks according to ESPN Research. He was 1 of 8 on such throws in Arizona, with six off-target throws.

“If you protect your quarterback — and our quarterback is a good quarterback — he can get the ball down the field and do a good job down there,” Eberflus said.

A week earlier it was even worse. Washington pressured Williams on 63% of his dropbacks, the most pressure he has faced this season. He went 5-of-13 passing for 86 yards with two sacks and five scrambles.

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No running game to keep the defense honest

Run back D’Andre Swift was Chicago’s catalyst in a late-game comeback in Washington when he ripped off a 56-yard touchdown run. Run back Roschon Johnson scored with 25 seconds left before the Bears lost on a Hail Mary.

It was the kind of rushing attack the Bears envisioned when they signed Swift this summer. The Bears gained 202 rushing yards against Washington, and Swift had a rushing touchdown in four straight games.

But the run game returned to early-season contention in Arizona. Swift ran the ball 16 times for 51 yards. The Bears averaged 3.0 yards per carry. Chicago’s once-promising rushing attack ranks 23rd with 111.8 yards per game.

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Questionable play calling

The day after the Cardinals loss, Eberflus said he wouldn’t change offensive playcallers. Waldron will continue to play against the Patriots.

“The changes we’re going to make are we’re going to look inward and make sure we’re leveraging our talents and skills, and really just overall basic execution of our plan,” Eberflus said.

The Bears totaled 241 yards in Arizona as the offense converted three of 14 third-down attempts.

The offensive disarray started with the “negative plays” that Williams said hampered the offense’s ability to generate momentum. Penalties and plays that ended in negative yardage, highlighted by the six sacks, led to Chicago averaging 3.4 yards per play.

But as Eberflus has previously noted, the Bears’ offense still struggles to get the ball to its best playmakers.

Tight end Cole Kmet entered Week 9 having caught 27 of his 30 targets for 303 yards and three touchdowns, generating a +19.5 receiving EPA (third among tight ends) according to NFL Next Gen Stats. It was not directed at the cardinals.

A total of 19 targets were distributed to wide receivers DJ Moor And Keenan Allen. The two combined for eight receptions for 69 yards.

When asked what he needs from Eberflus and Waldron to help him grow, Williams reiterated much of what he has said all season.

“I think we have to continue to grow and continue to communicate,” Williams said. “I think for myself I want to be better. I want to be able to help this team win. I want to be able to help (the) Chicago Bears achieve their goals at the end of the season that we all have — that I’ve had, and which I will continue to get.

“I think we all have to do a better job of putting ourselves in position.”