Caleb Williams Leads Rookies on Notable List Amid Potentially Lost Bears Season

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams has been a bright spot amid the turmoil of the Chicago Bears’ five-game losing streak, particularly over the past two weeks.

Williams responded well to the change at offensive coordinator from Shane Waldron to Thomas Brown, and he performed as desired in back-to-back games against increasingly difficult defensive challenges from the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.

Williams’ star power is on display off the field too.

Bears’ Caleb Williams Leads Rookies in Summer Merchandise Sales

Caleb Williams’ Uptick Could Override Bears’ Downturn

The No. 1 overall pick ranked No. 4 on the NFLPA’s top-100 merchandise sales list from the start of March through the end of August.

We must wait to see if the Bears’ performance as a team – which includes Williams’ earlier struggles – adversely affects the next iteration of the ranking. This one notably ended before the regular season began.

However, Williams’ recent uptick could work for him, especially if it continues.

Williams completed 70.5% of his passes for 521 yards and 2 touchdowns with 0 interceptions in Weeks 11 and 12. He also rushed 15 times for 103 yards.

Williams had gone three games without completing at least 60% of his passes before that. It had been six games since his last 300-yard passing game before he did it in Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Jaquan Brisker Sends Strong Message on Jaylon Johnson

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson got some love from injured teammate Jaquan Brisker, who remains on injured reserve for at least two more weeks with a concussion. Brisker took umbrage to comments from Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson about defenses letting his teammates go off.

“This is actually called Jaylon Johnson effect lol.. so he couldn’t go off,” Brisker posted on X on November 27.

“Jaylon continues to show he is 1 and is the best CB in the league. Give him his flowers.”

Jefferson made those remarks in a press conference before the Vikings’ historic win.

“It’s either let Justin go off or let everybody else go off,” Jefferson told reporters on November 21. “I’m gonna let everybody else go off.”

Johnson, for one, says he is not as encouraged by Williams’ progress. But that is only because Williams cannot win the game alone, the Bears’ All-Pro says. It has been rough going for him individually and the defense as a whole since the bye week.

All five of their opponents have amassed over 300 total yards of offense.

That had happened three times in their first six games, though it did occur in three of the last four in that set.

Johnson has also struggled during that stretch, allowing receptions on 13 of 19 targets thrown in his coverage, per Pro Football Reference. The 2023 Pro Bowler had allowed opposing QBs to complete 10-of-20 passes in the six games before the break.

Johnson’s 68.3 grade from Pro Football Focus for this season is a step back from 2023 (90.1).

It is still the second-best grade of his career and was better before his dip. The Bears’ issues with generating consistent pressure have also adversely affected the defense’s potency.

Bears Face Offensive Juggernaut on Turkey Day

This is a bad time for the defense to be in a lull. Williams, Johnson, and the Bears will face the Detroit Lions in the early game on Thanksgiving. Detroit is 10-1 and ranks first in scoring and second in yards gained through 12 weeks.

Potentially even more notable, they rank second in scoring defense too, though they are 12th in yards.

The Bears won the last meeting, in Week 11 in 2023. They had lost three straight before that.