Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown said Monday that Williams will play in Sunday's Week 18 game against Green Bay, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Brown also stated that all of Chicago's healthy players will suit up for the team's season finale. There had been some speculation that Williams could be held out of action given that the Bears have nothing to play for in terms of playoff contention and because the rookie QB has taken frequent hits this season -- Chicago has given up an NFL-high 67 sacks on the campaign. It remains to be seen how the Packers will handle their starters in Week 18 with the team having clinched a playoff berth and being unable to rise above the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
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Status
ACTIVELatest Caleb Williams news
Team
Chicago Bears
Birthdate
11/18/2001 (23)
Status
Active
HT/WT
6'1", 215 lbs
Draft Info
2024: Rd 1; Pk (CHI)
Birthplace
Washington, DC, USA
Position
QB
College
USC
Career History
Chicago Bears
2024-Present
(1 season)
Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown said Monday that Williams will play in Sunday's Week 18 game against Green Bay, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Brown also stated that all of Chicago's healthy players will suit up for the team's season finale. There had been some speculation that Williams could be held out of action given that the Bears have nothing to play for in terms of playoff contention and because the rookie QB has taken frequent hits this season -- Chicago has given up an NFL-high 67 sacks on the campaign. It remains to be seen how the Packers will handle their starters in Week 18 with the team having clinched a playoff berth and being unable to rise above the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
Williams completed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and rushed five times for 37 yards in the Bears' 6-3 loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night. He also fumbled once but recovered and pounced on a second loose ball. Four days after throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions, Williams, along with the entire Bears offense, regressed significantly. The rookie first overall pick's yardage total was the second lowest of his young career, and until Chicago's final possession, Williams had only been able to lead the Bears on one drive of longer than 16 yards, although he did have a 17-yard second-quarter touchdown pass to Rome Odunze nullified by penalty. That final march, which spanned 13 plays and 49 yards, also ended with a Williams interception (his first pick since Week 6) on fourth down following three consecutive incompletions. The loss was the Bears' 10th consecutive, leaving a Week 18 road matchup against the Packers as their only remaining chance to taste victory again in the 2024 regular season.
Williams completed 26 of 40 passes for 334 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed six times for 34 yards in the Bears' 34-17 loss to the Lions on Sunday. The end result was another ugly loss for the Bears that dropped them to 4-11, but Williams' play was encouraging from a statistical perspective. The rookie first overall pick's yardage total was the third highest of his career, and the performance was his fourth 300-yard effort overall. Williams authored his fourth multi-touchdown tally of the last five contests by connecting with Cole Kmet (one yard) and Keenan Allen (45 yards) for his pair of scoring passes, both of which came in the second quarter. Williams will look to continue honing his craft while seeking to snap what is now a nine-game losing streak for Chicago when the Seahawks come to town for a Week 17 matchup Thursday night.
Williams completed 18 of 31 pass attempts for 191 yards and a touchdown while rushing four times for three yards with a lost fumble in Monday's 30-12 loss to the Vikings. Williams kept his touchdown streak alive at four games, but it came in a futile effort against a division foe. The rookie signal-caller also coughed up his second fumble in as many games, bringing him up to four fumbles lost and five interceptions through 14 games. It's been a rocky road for Williams in his first season with Chicago, and he will have to take on a hungry Lions squad on Sunday that was just shown up at home by the Bills in Week 15. Hopefully there are more reliable fantasy options for fantasy managers whose playoff hopes are still alive.
Williams completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 134 yards and two touchdowns while rushing four times for 27 yards with a fumble in Sunday's 38-13 defeat to San Francisco. Williams and Chicago's offense were nearly invisible Sunday, netting just four yards over five drives (all of which ended in a punt) in the first half. The first-overall pick from this year's draft was able to pad his stats out of the break with a pair of touchdown throws that never threatened the 49ers' lead. On the bright side, Williams has now thrown seven touchdowns over his last three contests after failing to generate one over his previous four appearances. Things won't get any easier for the Bears as they prepare to visit the Vikings next Monday.
Williams completed 20 of 39 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns in a 23-20 loss to Detroit on Thursday while running for 39 yards on four carries. Williams provided acceptable fantasy production in a setting where things could have gone worse and nearly did. The first half was a fruitless struggle for Williams and the Bears offense, with all the familiar themes of poor pass-rush management and an inability to establish consistent rhythm. Williams kicked into an extra gear in the second half, though, scoring all three of his touchdowns and nearly leading the Bears to a game-tying field goal opportunity. Unfortunately for Williams, what happened from that point will go down among the most memorable NFL lore for in-game blunders. A 1st and 10 from the Detroit 25 with 0:46 left on the clock somehow resulted in the Bears running the clock out on themselves. The offense had one timeout left and 36 seconds on the clock but spent those seconds lining up to call an incomplete pass as time ran out. It's not Williams' fault as much as it is on Matt Eberflus, but it would still have been nice to see more situational awareness from Williams. They might have a different coach by then, but the Bears will hit the road to face the 49ers in Week 14.
Williams completed 32 of 47 passes for 340 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings. He added six rushes for 33 yards. The Bears were playing from behind for the entire second half, which led to Williams' second-highest pass attempt total of his rookie season. While that aided his stat line, there were plenty of positives to take from his performance, including six completions of at least 20 yards. He also recorded his first passing score since Week 6, connecting with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen for 10- and one-yard touchdowns, respectively. Willams is likely to experience more inconsistency to close the season, though he has averaged a respectable 7.3 yards per attempt in two games since the Bears have changed offensive coordinators.
Williams completed 23 of 31 passes for 231 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and added nine rushes for 70 yards in the Bears' 20-19 loss to the Packers on Sunday. The first overall pick appeared more in rhythm in his first game under interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, but the end result was another loss for the reeling Bears. Williams did put his team in position to pull off a win by leading a seven-play, 42-yard drive that started with him taking back-to-back sacks before recording completions of 16 and 21 yards to Rome Odunze and a 12-yard strike to Keenan Allen. However, the march ended with a blocked field goal as time expired. Williams had a compact target pool of six players on the afternoon, and he finished with highest yardage total since Week 5. Williams' first chance to build on the positives from his performance comes in a Week 12 home divisional clash against the Vikings.
Head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed Wednesday that Williams will remain the Bears' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Packers, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports. The Bears have lost each of their three games following their Week 7 bye, and Williams has taken a step backward in his development after he had completed 74.1 percent of his passes for 530 yards and a 6:1 TD:INT in the two games prior to the bye. Since the bye week, Williams has completed just 50.5 percent of his throws for 4.9 yards per attempt while committing one turnover (a lost fumble) and taking 18 sacks. Despite those struggles, Williams didn't look to be in any immediate danger of losing his starting job, but after the Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday, Ebeflus reaffirmed that the No. 1 overall pick wouldn't be benched for 2023 undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent. Bears passing game coordinator Thomas Brown is now set to take over as the interim offensive coordinator, and while Williams has nowhere to go but up following the coaching staff shakeup, he'll still represent a volatile fantasy option heading into a Week 11 matchup with Green Bay. Williams and the Bears will face a tough road over their final eight contests of the season, as a Week 17 game against the 4-5 Seahawks is Chicago's only matchup left with a team that's currently under .500.