The Atlanta Falcons know what it’s like to be uncertain about a quarterback’s injury status. Shoot, even this week they wouldn’t have been initially sure how Michael Penix Jr. would respond to his rib injury.
They’re going up against that kind of uncertainty in their Week 6 opponent, the Chicago Bears. The Bears are hoping to have star quarterback Caleb Williams back.
Williams spoke to reporters in Chicago on Thursday, though, and he left some doubt about his status after prior reports had seemed to be pretty confident that he’d be playing.
Is Caleb Williams Playing This Week?
Williams didn’t give any true indication on Thursday of his status.
“Before you start asking, I do not know if I’m playing yet,” Williams told reporters.
Williams added that the Bears have given him checkpoints that he still needs to get past, and there’s also what he referred to as a “stress test” to get through, before he can play on Sunday.
What’s Caleb Williams’ Injury?
Williams has been out with a hamstring injury.
He has missed three games. The Bears started Case Keenum for the first absence and Tyson Bagent for the last two.
Williams was injured in Week 2 while scrambling against the Minnesota Vikings. He went down without contact.
“I felt a pop,” Williams told reporters on Thursday. “That’s why I looked back. I looked back just like everybody else does when you feel a pop. [You] think somebody grabbed you, and nobody grabbed me.”
Given the way Williams went down and reacted, there was fear about a potential Achilles issue, but that was clarified within an hour of the game ending that it was a hamstring situation, not the Achilles.
Williams also told reporters that he had sustained a “hamstring tear,” different from the reports that it was a hamstring strain.
Falcons’ Preparations
Atlanta has had to spend this week assuming that Williams will play. He has been a full participant in Bears practices, so that points in the direction of a return.
Williams is the most mobile of Chicago’s quarterbacks, and he has a ton of arm talent, too. There’s no spot on the field that’s off limits when Williams is playing.
If Williams sat, it’d likely be Tyson Bagent starting, and he’s a good passer but a lot less experienced at the NFL level. The Falcons would probably try to throw some odd looks at Bagent to mess with his pre-snap reads.
And if for some reason it was Case Keenum starting for the Bears, Atlanta would have to be wary of his veteran know-how. Keenum has seen it all in his football career.
But for now, it still seems like it’ll be Williams, even if the QB himself is playing a bit coy about everything.
Caleb Williams’ Playing Status for Falcons-Bears in Week 6 Still in Question