The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their Week 3 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, and they will have their hands full in this one, as they will be without star quarterback Caleb Williams after he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2. Assuming he can clear the NFL’s concussion protocol, Tyson Bagent will get the start in this one, but his status is also up in the air.
If Bagent can’t go, that would force Case Keenum into a spot start, but the main thing the team and its fans are worried about is Williams’ status. On Sunday morning, a concrete timeline for Williams’ recovery emerged, and it seems like he will miss a couple more weeks beyond this clash vs. the Eagles.
Caleb Williams Set to Miss Three to Four Weeks With Hamstring Injury
Expectations were high for the Bears entering the season, and they immediately looked like a Super Bowl contender in Week 1 when they dropped 59 points on the Carolina Panthers. Everything came crashing down in Week 2, as the Minnesota Vikings held the offense to just three points. More concerningly, though, was the fact that Williams was forced out of the game early with his aforementioned injury.
Based on Williams’ initial reaction when he went down, and the fact that he was carted off the field, there was immediate concern that he had suffered a season-ending injury. Thankfully, Williams only suffered a hamstring strain, and while he should return to the field this year, it was still very obvious that he was going to miss some time.
Playing in Week 3 was never really an option for Williams, but the lack of information surrounding his recovery timeline led folks to hope that he could potentially play in Week 4. Those hopes have been dashed for the time being, as reports indicate that Williams will miss three to four weeks as a result of this injury.
“Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has a Grade 2 hamstring injury that doctors say could sideline him for three to four weeks,” Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported. “This doesn’t mean that Williams, whom the Bears have touted as a quick healer, couldn’t return sooner than that timeline. It just means that doctors believe this type of injury normally takes three to four weeks of recovery for most players, and that is the doctors’ best estimation of how long it could take Williams to recover.”
Bears Have Dodged a Bullet With Caleb Williams Injury
Being without Williams for any period of time obviously hurts Chicago’s offense, but considering what the team’s initial fears were, it’s safe to say that this is probably the best possible outcome. Barring something catastrophic, Williams will return to the field at some point this season, so if the Bears can stay afloat during his absence, they should be fine moving forward.
Winning without Williams will be difficult, but this team has enough talent to get by for the next few games. Beating the Eagles was going to be tough even if Williams played, though, and with Bagent’s status up in the air, Chicago is the clear underdog heading into this game. Bagent still has time to get himself ready for this game, as kickoff for this Monday Night Football matchup is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.
Bears Receive Important Caleb Williams Injury News After Week 3 Decision