Through three games, the first overall pick in the draft hasn’t performed as well as the second pick in the draft. Opponents of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, however, aren’t ready to make the conclusions that some on the outside have already drawn regarding Williams and Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the first pick 15 years ago, praised Williams earlier in the week. On Friday, Rams coach Sean McVay had plenty of positive things to say about the Bears’ rookie starter.
“I’ve watched this guy for a long time, whether it was when he first started playing at Oklahoma or USC and he is a stud,” McVay told reporters. “All the accolades that have been earned based on his body of work and his resume. . . . He’s checking all the boxes.
“You can see he knows what he’s looking at. He can process, he can play within the pocket, play with the timing and rhythm, deliver the ball with accuracy and anticipation, and then when things do go off-schedule, he’s a nightmare to defend because he keeps his eyes down the field. He can extend plays in the pass game, but then he also has the athleticism, strength, and the instincts as a runner to be able to tuck the ball down and do those types of things. He was going to be the number one overall pick for a long time. I think that’s been earned and he’s a great competitor. That’s one of the things that you look at. I think he’s a tremendous competitor and we have our hands full. He has some really good players around him and then obviously familiar with the good coaches that he’s surrounded with as well.”
Whether the players around him — specifically the offensive linemen — are good enough is a different story. Williams has had a harder go of it than Daniels because Williams hasn’t had time to operate. And the Bears have also had not much of a running game.
The Rams remain leery. And for good reason. This will be their first visit to Soldier Field since a Sunday night in 2018 that saw the Bears throttle L.A., 15-6.
“I only wake up in sweats every night thinking about it,” McVay said Wednesday. “That was a very humbling night. This league is a very humbling league. That was one of the more humbling nights and they did a great job being able to get after us. [It] felt like we were playing against fifteen guys on defense that night.”
Both teams enter the game 1-2. The Rams pulled off a remarkable come-from-behind win against the 49ers in Week 3, an outcome made even more impressive by the many injuries with which the Rams are dealing. Sunday’s winner gets to 2-2 and enhances their chances of hanging around long enough to get into playoff contention.
The loser won’t be done, but 1-3 feels very different than 2-2 — especially when the overall talent doesn’t yet stack up with the best teams in the conference.