CHICAGO -- Caleb Williams spent all summer beating his head against a brick wall known as the Bears' defense, so he could feel it coming during the fourth quarter Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
The Bears were trailing Tennessee 17-16 when the Titans faced a third-and-6 near midfield.
That's when Williams turned to offensive assistant Ryan Griffin and took his shot.
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"I told Ryan, 'this is going to be a pick,'" Williams said after the Bears' 24-17 win over the Titans.
Sure enough, defensive end DeMarcus Walker broke through the line and wrapped Levis up. Levis tried to flip the ball out of bounds as Walker took him to the ground, but the ball fluttered right into the stomach of cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who took it back 43 yards for a game-deciding pick-six.
Sunday was supposed to be a day about Williams and the Bears' new quarterback future. Instead, it was a reminder that unlike most teams starting a No. 1 overall pick at quarterback, the Bears don't need Williams to be special every week. The roster constructed around him can carry the rookie quarterback when he stumbles as he did Sunday, completing just 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards.
The Bears' offense didn't score a touchdown, and yet they left Soldier Field with a win.
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“That’s the NFL for you. It’s hard to win in this league," Williams said after the win. "To have a team like this, to have an offense, defense, special teams, players, coaches, all these players here, it’s the NFL. It’s hard to win in this league. We’re excited, but we’ve got a lot more to get better at, a lot more to progress, get ready for this week.”
After months of hype surrounding Williams and the new-look offense, the Bears' Maserati never got out of the garage Sunday against the Titans' fierce front seven. Williams missed throws, didn't see open receivers, took an ill-advised sack, and had several passes batted down at the line.
The Caleb Williams that wowed at times during camp and the preseason with arm talent, accuracy, touch, and off-script playmaking ability wasn't the guy under center Sunday. He was just a rookie quarterback trying to feel his way out in his first start.
Williams said during the week that he didn't care about stats. If the Bears go 1-0 that week, that's what he cares about.
So Williams got to enjoy the aftermath of a turbulent NFL debut with a win. He's 1-0 as a starter with work to be done as he rides the rookie quarterback rollercoaster.
"I sat down, enjoyed the moment, just watching all the guys celebrate understanding that I need to be better, I will be better," Williams said.
"Whether it’s a win or loss, you expect to play a certain way, you expect yourself to perform a certain way, to make passes, whether it’s just a routine pass or an insane kind of whatever the case may be kind of play itself. That didn’t happen today, so it’s enough motivation for me. We’re going to somebody else’s home this week and so it’s enough motivation for me to go out there and get better this week and make sure I perform differently next week.”
Bears general manager Ryan Poles constructed this roster to give Williams room for error, to give him space to progress at his own speed and not feel the weight of everything on his right arm.
Williams vowed to be better Sunday. I have no doubt he will. It might not happen immediately, and his progression won't be a steady staircase to the stratosphere.
But what the Bears showed Sunday is that no matter how Williams progresses—whether slow, fast, or at a steady rate—they are built to allow him to get better at his own pace.
That Williams is wired to chase perfection only fuels the Bears’ belief that the rookie quarterback will navigate the expected turbulence and rise.
“That’s one of the most competitive dudes that I know,” rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze said. “He’s got like that Michael Jordan makeup to go make something happen. So now that we had a day like we had today, this is going to fuel us even more and continue to make us want to get better and better.”
The Bears enter the season with expectations. This isn't a team with a rookie quarterback building out the basement of a rebuild. There's blue-chip talent across the roster. There is depth. There are also holes that they'll have to work around all season.
The Bears will need Williams to be better than he was Sunday. No question. But, unlike what Williams experienced at USC, everything won't rest on his shoulders. Williams will press on and push the pace because that's how those who are wired for greatness are. That's all they know.
But when more turbulence hits, the Bears' defense and offensive supporting cast will be there to stabilize things and allow Williams to find his footing and get back to the climb.
“I’ll be honest with you, I feel great," Williams said. "I understand that, obviously, the stats weren’t where I want them to be and things like that because I want to go out there and perform to the best of my ability. I didn’t do that today. We’re going to get better tomorrow.
"We're going to be better next week."
The Bears are 1-0 in the Caleb Williams era. The rookie quarterback's ascent hasn't even left base camp, but the Bears are built to aid him in that journey. Sunday's win showed they have what it takes to help the rookie quarterback get to the summit -- they'll even carry him at times if they have to.