The Chicago Bears are 4-3. It is the same record they had at this point last season. We all know what happened. They ended up losing every game until the season finale against Green Bay. Will this time be different? Nobody can say for sure. Right now, the team is in a tough spot. Their defense is horrendously banged up. All three starting cornerbacks are hurt, with two on Injured Reserve. They just lost two defensive linemen, one for the season and another for multiple weeks. Offensively, they are continually haunted by penalty issues and inconsistency. At the heart of it all is Caleb Williams.
Everything this year was about his development. Could he take the necessary steps forward to become a franchise quarterback? The results to this point have been mixed. After starting the season with seven touchdowns and only one interception, he has just two touchdowns and three interceptions in the past three games. It feels like he is trending in the wrong direction. People are growing concerned.
Head coach Ben Johnson isn't panicking. Despite the iffy numbers from Sunday, he saw signs that Williams is progressing. In truth, the defining stretch of the season and perhaps Williams' time in Chicago is just ahead. Three of the next four games will be against three of the worst defenses in the NFL, especially against the pass.
Caleb Williams is the problem if he can't capitalize on this stretch.
Cincinnati has been terrible defensively all year, and their best player, Trey Hendrickson, is hurt. Bo Nix put up 326 yards and two touchdowns on them. Justin Fields led the Jets to 39 points. New York has a strong pass rusher, but their secondary is terrible, as is their run defense. Pittsburgh has big names in its secondary, but no speed. Their pass rush has also lost a lot of its juice since last season. Even the Minnesota Vikings have started backsliding defensively after a strong start to the season.
Don't forget, two of those three games will be at home. This is not a stretch where Caleb Williams can hide behind the guise of a tough schedule. Penalties aside, the protection has been good this year. He has more than enough weapons to put up points. This comes down to efficiency and finishing drives. Good quarterbacks do that. If Caleb Williams concludes this stretch with the same pedestrian numbers as the past three weeks, it might be time to have a discussion about his future.
