Caleb Williams did it again. Another sluggish afternoon for the Chicago Bears' offense saw them trailing 20-10 in the 4th quarter. However, this time the young quarterback wasn't the primary reason for the issues. He'd actually played quite well despite difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, his receiving corps decided to have one of its worst showings of the season. NFL statisticians credited the group with no fewer than six dropped passes on the afternoon, and some argue it was more than that. Even so, it was the highest number by any team this season.
There was no bigger culprit than Olamide Zacchaeus. Chicago's slot receiver had a miserable day, dropping three passes, including what should've been a wide-open touchdown. The reaction from Williams said it all.
In fact, that play may have had grave consequences for Zacchaeus. Williams has tried for months to make him one of the main focuses in the offense. He's the second-most targeted receiver on the team. However, those drops may have finally killed what little confidence the quarterback had left in him. Nothing summed that up more than the defining play of the game. Williams delivered the kill shot on New York with his 18-yard scramble for a touchdown. What people didn't realize was that Zacchaeus was wide open on the play.
There is no question Williams saw him. He chose to keep it anyway.
Caleb Williams made his thoughts on Zacchaeus crystal clear.
There is no greater death sentence for a wide receiver than when he loses the confidence of his quarterback. Zacchaeus did that on Sunday with his drops. Trust is crucial between quarterback and receiver. Nothing destroys that trust faster than the belief there's a 50/50 chance a pass won't be completed when thrown. That is what happened with Caleb Williams. In a crucial moment of the game, despite Zacchaeus coming wide open for what would've been a walk-in score, the quarterback didn't trust the receiver to make the play.
It's hard to blame him. The Bears might not have been in that position to begin with if Zacchaeus had done his job earlier in the game. It will be interesting to see what head coach Ben Johnson does moving forward. If Williams makes those feelings known in the meeting room, we could end up seeing a lot more of Luther Burden in the coming weeks.
