The Chicago Bears have no intention of benching quarterback Caleb Williams for their 2024 regular-season finale against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18.
Despite some public outcry for Chicago to bench Williams in the final game of the 2024 season and preserve his health, Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown quashed any such ideas on December 30 when he confirmed that Williams will start in Green Bay.
“As far as Caleb goes, as far as dialogue about him not playing,” that’s never come up or been talked about at all,” Brown said Monday. “There was no thought into that from myself or communication from [general manager] Ryan [Poles] because there’s an opportunity that’s not guaranteed, and I take it very seriously because opportunities aren’t guaranteed and one thing I hate more than anything is wasted time.”
Williams is now in line to become the first Bears quarterback to start every game since the league moved to its 17-game schedule for the 2021 season. Brown also confirmed he intends to play every other healthy veteran on the roster in the season finale against the Packers, eradicating speculation that the Bears might sit players amid a lost season.
The Bears (4-12) will cap their regular season with a road matchup against the Packers (11-5) at Lambeau Field in Green Bay at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, January 5.
Caleb Williams Can Set Multiple Records vs. Packers
The Bears announcing that Williams will play in the regular-season finale against the Packers means the No. 1 pick will have a shot at breaking a few more franchise records before putting a bow on his chaotic rookie season; though, it would take Grade-A play.
Williams has 3,393 passing yards heading into his first career game at Lambeau Field, putting him fifth on the all-time list for Bears quarterbacks behind Jay Culter (in three different seasons) and Erik Kramer with a franchise record 3,838 yards in 1995. While he has already shattered the Bears’ single-season rookie quarterback record, he would need 267 yards to move further up the all-time list and 446 yards to overtake Kramer.
Williams claiming the No. 1 spot is probably unrealistic, but movement up from the No. 5 spot is achievable considering he has thrown for at least 300 yards in four games.
Unfortunately, Williams is also in the running for at least one undesirable record, too.
Williams has taken 67 sacks over the first 16 games of his rookie season and would set a new NFL record for most sacks taken by a quarterback in a single season if the Packers manage to bring him down 10 times in their Week 18 matchup. Opponents have sacked Williams at least seven times in four games this season with the New England Patriots bringing him down a season-high nine times in Week 10, so it is not out of the question.
Will Caleb Wiliams Seize 1st Career Win Over Packers?
The Bears have several valid reasons to want to see Williams play against the Packers in their final game of the regular season. His development has become a critical part of the team’s long-term future and they understandably want to see how he handles himself in a road matchup against the franchise’s biggest rival — even without playoffs on the line.
Does Wiliams have a chance to pull off the unexpected and help the Bears defeat the Packers for the first time since December 2018, though? It remains possible.
Slow starts have plagued the Bears offense throughout the season, but the problem has become even more noticeable down the stretch. The Bears have not scored points in the first quarter since Week 12’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings when they ran one up the gut with Roschon Johnson on their third drive of the game. Since then, they have seldom flirted with the possibility of first-quarter points as their offense has gone cold.
While it might be too much to ask, the Bears can correct these problems if they develop an effective opening-drive script and avoid making detail-orientated mistakes — such as penalties or drops — against the Packers. Doing so would offer a jolt of confidence, too.
The Bears will also need to firmly establish their run game if they want Williams to have a chance. Some of that depends on the offensive line overcoming the absence of starting left tackle Braxton Jones — and potentially also injured left guard Teven Jenkins — but the Bears also need to create a plan that plays to the strengths of their running backs.
If they can do all that, perhaps the Bears can end things on a high note.
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Bears Make Final Call on Benching Caleb Williams Against Packers