Caleb Williams (Creative Commons: NBC Sports Boston)
Caleb Williams made his Chicago Bears debut Saturday and was very impressive. Williams’ numbers were good, but not overwhelming. He was 4-7 for 95 yards and no TDs or picks. He also rushed for 13 yards on one carry. But beyond the numbers, the guy just looked like a really good NFL QB.
Williams picked up a first down on a third down scramble as well as making an amazing throw on the run to Cole Kmet for 19 yards. He also did a little drop of pass to D’Andre Swift that went for 42 yards that had me scratching my head. I had to look at the replay a number of times to see how the ball came out to Swift. It was amazing, and the kind of thing I can’t imagine Justin Fields doing.
It’s hard not to be excited about the 33-6 Bears win over the Bills if you are a Bears’ fan. Of course, Williams is the centerpiece of the Bears’ fans excitement, but there were plenty of other things to be enthused about.
The Bears won the battle of the trenches
The Bears recorded eight QB sacks while the Bills were limited to one. Bears’ rookie edge rusher, Austin Booker recorded 2 1/2 of the Bears’ eight sacks. Rookie linebacker Daniel Hardy also picked up 2 1/2 sacks. Obviously, the Bears’ defense wasn’t going against All Pro opposition, but still, eight is a lot of sacks.
As for the Bears’ offensive line, they allowed only one sack. There has been consternation about the Bears’ offensive line coming out of training camp. Maybe Saturday’s performance will calm things down. Bears’ guard Nate Davis has had a hard time staying on the field during his time. His trouble staying on the field has continued. That will be a story to watch going forward
The Bears offense line is still the team’s biggest concern at this point.
And look, there’s Velus Jones
The Bears, in their seemingly never endingly effort to gain some value out of Jones, are trying him at running back. And honestly, there might be something there. Jones had six carries for 34 yards, including one TD. He had a long run of 19 yards.
He may carve out a place on the roster as a niche or gadget player.
And, of course to remind us he is Velus Jones, he did fumble a kickoff. However, he did recover it and returned it a short distance. Ah, Velus being Velus.
It looks like Williams over Fields was the right choice
In the Steelers 20-12 loss to the Texans, Justin Fields was 5-6 for 67 yards. Fields had no TD passes or picks. He was, however, sacked twice and had two fumbled snaps. That sounds oh so familiar.
Fields was in for two drives. One was stopped by a fumbled snap, the other by a sack. So, while the fact he was 5-6 for 67 looks good, it fails to tell the whole sad story.
That has been true for so much of Justin’s career.
