Good, better, best is Ben Johnson’s victory mantra for the Chicago Bears. The team embodied that mentality on Sunday in their Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
In the first half, they were good. They went into the second with a seven-point lead. In the third quarter, they were better; they entered the fourth with a 14-point lead. By the end of the game, they were clearly the best, dropping 59 total points in their debut in a 22-point win in Charlotte.
Amid the theme of being the best, Caleb Williams also crossed an absurd mark on Sunday.
Next Gen Stats posted, “Caleb Williams reached a top speed of 20.35 mph on his 9-yard scramble TD run, the third-fastest speed by a QB as a ball carrier since the start of last season (Williams also owns the top two speeds). Williams has reached 20+ mph six times since the start of last season. No other QB has more than two such plays.”
Bears’ Caleb Williams Has Recorded More Runs of 20+ MPH Than Any QB
This led ESPN’s Ben Solak to write, “That’s some legitimate acceleration — special stuff.”
Williams then had another scoring run that surpassed 20 miles per hour in the 2nd quarter.
“Williams has cleared 20 mph seven times as a ball carrier since the start of last season,” Solak recapped following the game.
“The rest of the quarterbacks in the NFL have six such plays combined. His fastest touchdown (20.8 mph) was a 29-yard scamper at the end of the first half, but it’s easier to see the impact of his extra gear on his first touchdown (20.45 mph). Williams is as dangerous as anyone in the league when throwing on the run (and especially to his left), so he initially runs only fast enough to outstrip pursuing Panthers defensive end Princely Umanmielen. Once he realizes he can make the pylon, he rounds the corner and hits the gas. It looks as easy for him as it does for quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.”
While this stat puts Williams at the top of the leaderboard among fellow quarterbacks, what’s even more insane is where he ranks among running backs.
Bears’ Caleb Williams Is Tied For The Most Runs of 20+ MPH Among All RBs
Underdog posted that Caleb Williams is tied for the most carries at 20+ MPH since 2025 among all players. He is tied with Keaton Mitchell at seven, and ahead of Jonathan Taylor and Jahmyr Gibbs, who have six.
The wildest aspect is that Williams accomplished it with just 87 carries.
For reference, Taylor recorded 342 carries, and Gibbs recorded 272 carries in that same span.
All of this talk about Williams’ ability with his legs almost makes you forget about how talented he is with his arm.
Solak finished his article with, “Williams was sharp as nails as a thrower in this one, too. He ended the day 21-for-29 with 269 yards and two passing touchdowns in the Bears’ 59-37 win over the Panthers. There will be stiffer tests than Carolina’s defense down the Bears’ schedule, but for the second year of the Williams-Ben Johnson pairing, you couldn’t ask for a much better start.”
Bears’ Caleb Williams Beats Out Jahmyr Gibbs and Jonathan Taylor in Ridiculous Non-QB Stat