Quarterback Caleb Williams excelled against the Lions despite the Bears' 34-17 loss Sunday at Soldier Field, completing 26 of 40 passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns and a 107.7 rating.
Williams finished his ninth straight contest without an interception — the longest streak in Bears history and the longest streak by a rookie in NFL history. Williams has attempted 326 consecutive passes without a pick, marking the sixth-longest in a single season in NFL history.
With his two touchdowns, the No. 1 overall pick has recorded multiple TD passes in seven games this season, including in four of the last five contests. Williams' first TD Sunday came with 6:35 left in the second quarter on a 1-yard pass to tight end Cole Kmet.
The Bears got the ball back before the halftime break, allowing Williams and the offense to put together another scoring drive. After a 25-yard completion to receiver DJ Moore on second-and-10, Williams fired a 45-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to receiver Keenan Allen to bring the Bears within 27-14. The score was a result of Williams' pre-snap communication and Allen's savvy route-running.
"Right before the snap, I saw that they had a two-high shell, so I yelled to Keenan because I was thinking it would be Cover 2," Williams told reporters. "Keenan ran a great route — ran it kind of perfect — and we've practiced this route many times. We were just on the same page right before the snap, threw a good ball, Keenan ran away from a couple people and scored."
Williams and Allen showed off their connection throughout the entire game. The veteran receiver had his best game in a Bears uniform, totaling 141 yards on a game-high nine receptions. It's the most yards by any Bears receiver this season and the most Allen has recorded since Nov. 12 2023, when he totaled 175 receiving yards on 11 receptions, which also came against the Lions.
When asked what was the catalyst for his success on Sunday, Allen kept it simple, saying: "I'm me." The 12-year pro also credited Williams for not only his own performance but the performance of the entire offense.
"With a guy like Caleb, you've always got a chance to move the ball downfield," Allen said. "Third-and-18, he runs and gets us close. His legs, his playmaking ability — he's always able to make something shake and keep us alive."
Williams also utilized his scrambling abilities, rushing for 34 yards on six attempts. His longest carry of 13 yards occurred on third-and 14 , which set up a fourth-and-1 play where Williams and receiver Rome Odunze connected for a 30-yard gain. That marked the rookies' second fourth-down conversion of the day — both of which led to scores. Odunze became just the second rookie this season to log multiple receiving fourth-down conversions, joining Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Williams added one more fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter with a 10-yard pass to Allen.
"It's crucial being able to stay on the field and convert," Odunze said. "Continuing the series is something all offenses look to do to have success, so for us to make those happen this game, it was crucial. Going forward, we'll need to continue to do that."
While Allen led the offense Sunday, Odunze had his fourth game of 65 receiving yards or more, totaling 77 yards on four receptions. Williams and Odunze — the No. 1 and No. 9 picks of the 2024 draft — have continued to strengthen their on-field connection throughout their rookie campaigns.
"[Williams] was doing a great job facilitating the ball, getting it to his playmakers and using his feet as well when he needed to," Odunze said. "He had a bunch of spectacular plays out there, so just gotta continue to do that consistently and get the ball in the end zone."
Williams strong performance kept him moving up in the Bears record books. He currently sits sixth among the Bears' all-time single season passing yardage leaders with 3,271 yards. Williams is just three yards shy of Jay Cutler's 3,274 yards during the 2010 season.
The rookie's fourth career 300-yard passing game is tied for the most by any Bears QB in a single season in franchise history.
While Williams has continued to see himself and the offense grow throughout the season, he's remained focused on finding ways to help the team come away with wins. With two games remaining in his rookie year, Williams views each moment on the field as an opportunity to learn and improve.
"Every snap is valuable," Williams said. "There are so many different situations that happen throughout games that you can learn from and that I've learned from this year. Like earlier this game, we went to empty, it was the fourth down that we ended up going for it. Threw it to Keenan and I'm on third down, and he ended up getting a positive gain, enough for us to go for it.
"That's one that was pointed out to me in the game about playing efficient football. Playing and understanding the situation and not trying to make a big play when defenses are trying to drop out. I think every snap for myself and for this team is valuable."
