CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears rolled into their bye week with three straight wins and a 4-2 record.
The No. 1 overall draft pick is signaling he just might be the quarterback to solidify a position that has long haunted a founding NFL franchise. The Bears are looking more like a team that's serious about contending for a playoff spot.
It's an unfamiliar position for Chicago.
“I think we are in a good spot, I really do,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “I think we have got a lot of improvement to do. But for the first six games, I think we are in a good spot, and we have to get our minds and our bodies and everything right to go on to these next six games, starting with the first one.”
The Bears have their best record through six games since the 2020 team was 5-1 on the way to an 8-8 finish, after pounding Jacksonville 35-16 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last week. They matched their longest win streak since Weeks 14 through 16 of that season.
Chicago will try to keep the run going at Washington next week, with Williams and Jayden Daniels going at it in a matchup between quarterbacks drafted with the top two picks this year. Daniels has the statistical edge with a league-leading 75.3 completion percentage and a 107.1 passer rating that's fourth in the NFL.
“The human side of it is you want your guy to just take off and roll, but everyone’s journey is going to be different,” general manager Ryan Poles said. "The important thing is for Caleb to understand that, as well, and run his race. He’s done that well.”
If they beat the Commanders, the Bears will have their first four-game win streak since the 2018 NFC North championship season. They have not finished with a winning record since and their only playoff appearance in that span was in 2020.
But in their third season under Poles and coach Matt Eberflus, they look as though they might be turning a corner.
They have a top-10 defense and, lately, a more balanced offense. They've been getting big contributions in recent games from running back D'Andre Swift. But the most promising development for the Bears is Williams' play.
“I really like his progress,” Poles said last week. “I love the work ethic and the time that he’s put into it, the toughness, the ability to bounce back from tough games.”
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner for Southern California is a combined 60 of 81 for 687 yards over the past three games against the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina and Jacksonville. He has seven touchdown passes and one interception in that span, after throwing for two scores and getting picked off four times through the first three games.
Williams threw for 226 yards and four touchdowns against Jacksonville while running for 56 yards. He completed 23 of 29 passes with a 124.4 rating that nearly matched his 126.2 mark in a 36-10 rout against Carolina the previous week. Before that, the highest rating by a Bears rookie since the AFL-NFL merger was Jim McMahon’s 121.1 against the Rams on Dec. 26, 1982.
Sure, Williams wasn't exactly going against dominant defenses. In fact, he was facing two of the NFL's worst the past two games.
Even so, he looks more comfortable reading defenses and is attacking them with confidence. He's been keeping plays and drives alive with his arm and legs, staying focused downfield and going through his progressions even when he's on the move.
“These past couple games we’ve had, I think I’ve been seeing it well,” Williams said. “That starts throughout the whole week watching film, getting there in practice, talking to the coaches, players and things like that. So, I think seeing it well. I think the comfort level of just like I’ve talked about before, getting back to playing football and where I need to be, eyes need to be, if I need to hold a safety, if I need to just hang on a route.”
Chicago has just three playoff appearances since the 2006 Super Bowl season. But after going a combined 10-24 the first two seasons under Poles and Eberflus, the Bears are in a more promising spot.
They're also in a lighter portion of the schedule, though Washington leads the NFC East. They have games against Arizona and New England after that, before entering a tougher stretch that starts with Green Bay in Week 11.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press
