Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will enter Sunday's regular-season finale against the Lions playing the best football of his two-year NFL career.
The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of the last four games and has passed for at least 240 yards and two TDs with no interceptions in each of his last three starts. Both are his longest streaks as a pro.
"He's certainly settled in," said coach Ben Johnson. "The conversations we have now are a little bit more advanced than they were earlier in the season in terms of what we're trying to get done with these ball plays. You've seen the pre-snap penalties start to go down. And when you see things over the last half of the season where you're getting these free plays, you feel his control at the line of scrimmage starting to come out.
"I think he feels very much involved in the process. I think he feels like he has a great grasp on what we're trying to get done. That's showing up now on game day on a consistent basis and so he is able to play a little faster. He made some big-time throws there [last Sunday night against the 49ers]. He's just playing really confident right now. Hopefully we can continue on that trend."
Williams has helped lead the Bears to an 11-5 record and their first NFC North title since 2018. With 330 yards in San Francisco, he increased his season total to 3,730. He needs 109 yards versus the Lions to break Erik Kramer's team record of 3,838 set in 1995 and 270 yards to become the franchise's first 4,000-yard passer.
"For me, it would be cool just in the sense there's never been one here," Williams said. "I was brought here for those types of things and those types of moments, the things that haven't been done here, to try and be able to accomplish. But the self-goals and all of that always get swept under when you go for team goals and that's winning ballgames. That's first and foremost on my mind. That's first and foremost for this team because the most important thing is winning ballgames and heading into the playoffs with some momentum and some good energy."
Much of Williams' success has been due to his ability to protect the ball. With 45 TD passes and 12 interceptions, his 3.6-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is the second best by any quarterback with at least 500 attempts since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger behind Aaron Rodgers (4.3). In addition, Williams' 23 starts without an interception are the most by any quarterback in their first two seasons in the league and the second most in the NFL the past two years behind Jalen Hurts' 24.
"It's something that's been preached to me and instilled in me throughout my career," Williams said. "I think the other half of it is decision making, belief and trust in what I'm seeing but also belief and trust in the guys that are out there. It's not like I haven't put the ball in harm's way this year or throughout my career. It's just the belief and trust in them, the belief and trust in myself and what I'm seeing."
While team goals will always trump individual accomplishments, Williams is not shy about discussing his lofty personal objectives.
"I want to be the best quarterback not only for Chicago but in the league and that starts with consistency; that starts with me preparing the right way," he said. "It's important to me. I don't get up to be mediocre. I don't get up to not come to work and be at my best and go on the football field and do what I do. I want to keep growing. I want to keep growing for myself. I want to keep growing for my legacy. But I also want to keep growing for this team."
