Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams is about to join one of the most exclusive offensive groups in league history, currently occupied by only Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson — both of whom are two-time NFL MVPs.
Williams took a major step in his second pro season in 2025 by reducing his number of sacks taken from 68 sacks in his rookie campaign to just 24 sacks last year. That enhanced what was already one of Williams’ strong points, limiting negative plays like turnovers in comparison to the number of touchdowns for which he accounts on a week-by-week and year-by-year basis.
Across his first two campaigns, Williams threw for 47 TDs and just 13 INTs. After one week in Year 3, the Bears quarterback has 49 TD passes to his name and still only the 13 interceptions.
Assuming that Williams can throw for one touchdown — which odds suggest will happen in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings — before tossing three interceptions, Williams will become only third QB in league history to hit the 50-TD pass mark while also having thrown 15 or fewer total interceptions, per a report Thursday from Pro Football Talk.
The only other players to accomplish that feat are the aforementioned Mahomes and Jackson.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Routed Panthers With Arm, Legs in Week 1 Win
Williams earned recognition for his elite play in Week 1, as the Bears topped the Carolina Panthers by a score of 59-37, tallying eight touchdowns and leading the league in total scoring across the opening slate of games.
The NFL and the Bears announced that Williams won the FedEx Air and Ground Player of the Week award after completing 21-of-29 passes for 269 yards and two TDs while also rushing 10 times for 65 yards and two scores.
“A solid Week 1 for the Iceman,” the Bears’ official team X account captioned a post celebrating the award.
Meanwhile, Bears running back D’Andre Swift captured the league’s NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 1 after rushing for 124 yards and three TDs along with making one catch for 10 receiving yards.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Currently Stands Third in NFL MVP Odds
Chicago hosts the Vikings in the Bears’ home opener on Sunday, September 20 at Soldier Field. The Bears are currently 4.5-point favorites to win the contest and move to 2-0 on the season, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Meanwhile, Williams’ odds to win the MVP award jumped after his Week 1 showing in Carolina. He now sits third in the MVP standings at plus-700, according to an article from Doug Greenberg of ESPN on Tuesday.
Only Jackson, in second place at plus-650, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, in first place currently with odds of plus-475, are ahead of Williams. Jackson won the honor most recently in 2023, while Allen captured his first MVP award in 2024.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford won the MVP trophy last season.
Bears’ Caleb Williams on Cusp of Elite Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson Club