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Schrock Report: Grading Caleb Williams and the Bears in a dominant preseason win against the Bills Originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Caleb Williams said last week he was on the right track in his NFL development.
“I’m right where I need to be and where they want me to be,” Williams said.
That certainly seemed to be the case Saturday when the rookie quarterback made his NFL preseason debut in the Bears’ 33-6 win over the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Williams was as announced during two series of worksEven his one mistake – a reckless throw that could have been thrown in the other direction for a touchdown – was erased because of an illegal contact flag.
Williams’ debut only added to the excitement and energy surrounding this new era of Bears football.
“There’s certainly positivity there,” head coach Matt Eberflus said after the win. “We’re not going to let that go. I feel like we have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to accomplish as a football team, not just Caleb. We all have to play well around him. It’s important that we continue to improve before that first game.”
The Bears have work to do, but the latest step in their detailed plan to turn Williams into an NFL superstar was a huge success.
Below is a report celebrating the unofficial first day of a new era:
Crime of passage
Williams showed all the facets of his game that made him the undisputed number one choice.
Freak talent and arm speed? Check. Ability to use mobility to create plays in and out of the structure? Yeah, I get it. Special passes off the platform, especially while running? No doubt.
It was just 18 plays (20 if you count penalties), but Williams was as advertised on Saturday in Western New York.
“That kid is special. He’s special,” rookie catcher Rome Odunze said.
Williams completed 4 of 7 passes for 95 yards and had a passer rating of 101.8. He also had 13 rushing yards during his only scramble.
The Bears’ passing game was firing on all cylinders against the Bills. Williams’ three incompletions were the product of two turnovers and a miscommunication. He opened the day with a 12-yard pass to DJ Moore to move the chains on third-and-12 and followed that up with an improvised pass to running back D’Andre Swift for a 42-yard gain on a screen pass.
The pass of the day was a 26-yard pass to Kmet on a rebound attempt to the right. Williams came out of the field at speed, faked a pass to an oncoming running back and threw a dart to Kmet down the sideline.
“That’s the natural ability that God gave him,” Swift said.
The Bears’ offensive line remains a work in progress. Right guard Nate Davis and backup Ryan Bates did not play Saturday, meaning Matt Pryor got the nod to the starting five. Right tackle Darnell Wright opened the game with a holding penalty that put them behind the sticks, and the pass protection overall was average.
There’s work to be done to get to where the Bears want to be, but Saturday was a big positive step in the right direction.
WILLIAMS RATING: A
TEAM RATING: A-
Hasty offensive
The Bears’ first-team offense struggled to run the ball successfully on Saturday, especially in the red zone.
Swift carried the ball just once for 3 yards, while Khalil Herbert rushed nine times for 31 yards (3.4 average).
When the Bears got into the red zone, they tried to rely on the running game, but the offensive line was unable to create openings for Herbert to find his spot.
The team’s second and third offenses performed well on the field.
Velus Jones Jr. ran the ball six times for 34 yards and scored a touchdown. Undrafted rookie Ian Wheeler had 43 yards on five carries and scored two touchdowns.
The success of the second half raised the score, but it was not a particularly remarkable performance for the starters.
GRADE: C
Pass defense
The Bears’ first-team defense was without four starters Saturday, but didn’t miss a beat in its only quarter of action against Bills quarterback Josh Allen and the starters.
Allen completed just 2 of 3 passes for 22 yards. He left midway through the second drive to make way for backup Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky drove the ball down the field against the Bears defense, but a pass breakup by Jaylon Johnson and a tipped pass by Gervon Dexter forced Buffalo to kick a field goal.
Without cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson and safety Jaquan Brisker, the Bears’ defense performed well in its preseason debut. It forced the Bears to play three-and-out on the first possession and ended up in the red zone.
Without Montez Sweat, the first-team pass rush was subpar. However, rookie Austin Booker took the second half by storm, finishing with five tackles, 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. Daniel Hardy also had 2.5 sacks.
It was a good showing for the Bears’ passing depth.
RATING: A
Run defense
While there may still be some questions about the Bears’ pass rush, the run defense was in shape midway through the season.
DeMarcus Walker and Andrew Billings stopped running back James Cook on the first play from scrimmage for a short gain. Two plays later, Dominique Robinson and Walker ruined a third-and-1 run by Cook to force a punt.
The Bears held the Bills to 77 rushing yards on 26 carries (3.0 average). Buffalo’s longest rush was a 14-yard scamper by backup quarterback Shane Buechele.
Nice, pretty good.
RATING: A
Special teams
Rookie Tory Taylor performed well in the windy conditions in Buffalo. Taylor’s first punt went for 48 yards and was caught at the 6. His second punt also went for 48 yards and was caught at the 11.
Cairo Santos made both of his field goals but missed an extra point.
Jones Jr. botched a kick return but was able to recover the ball for a 13-yard gain.
A normal day for Richard Hightower’s unit.
GRADE: C
TRAINING
The only coaching note I have is that offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s red zone play calling on the first series left a lot to be desired.
After Swift’s 42-yard catch-and-run on the screen, the Bears handed the ball to Herbert three times for 9 yards and settled for a field goal.
Things improved on the second trip to the red zone, but a drop by Moore and a miscommunication between Williams and Odunze ended the drive.
The preseason is average, so I hope it will be better.
However, Waldron showed he plans to play to Williams’ strengths by calling several bootlegs that put Williams on edge, narrowed the field by half and made things easier for the talented rookie.
GRADE: B