Caleb Williams reflects on his rookie year after another Bears loss

MINNEAPOLIS – After the Bears’ eighth straight loss, a 30-12 rout at Minnesota that tied the Vikings’ season win, Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams took a moment to reflect on his rookie season.

The reality of Williams’ first year is a team in free fall, as the Bears fell to 4-10 on Monday night. While Williams’ teammates Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson experienced the turmoil of the franchise’s worst 14-game losing streak in the 2022-23 seasons, this is uncharted territory for the No. 1 pick, who honestly reflected on his rookie experience yet maintained an optimistic outlook.

“It was frustrating and encouraging,” Williams said. “I would say the frustrating thing about it is obviously we’re in a – how many games now, eight? – yes, we are on an eight-game losing streak. Like I said, this is new to me. I haven’t experienced it yet.” That’s the frustrating part. The encouraging part is how hard we fight as a team.

“The encouraging thing is that as a team … we are able to get through everything that has happened this year. “I didn’t play well at the start of the season and I felt like I saw it well and then was able to find ways to do it.” Keep growing, keep going through the times I frustrated with coaches getting fired and everything that’s going on. To be able to wake up, be consistent, do this every day the way it’s been going for me, it’s encouraging for this team and we have to keep going. It was encouraging but also frustrating for me.

Williams appeared visibly frustrated and in pain on the Bears’ bench early in the fourth quarter. After taking a devastating hit from Minnesota linebacker Jihad Ward, cameras showed a visibly shaken Williams lying on his side.

Williams was hit three times and sacked twice by the Vikings, giving him a total of 58 sacks on the year, the highest in the league.

When asked about the total number of hits he has suffered in 14 games, Williams declined to point out any psychological strain, but noted that he is struggling with the physical effects.

“Let’s put it in that context,” Williams said. “Say you have three car accidents in a month, you will feel it. That’s what a hit in football is all about. You take it over a long period of time and it builds up.”

The Bears’ offense struggled to score against the Vikings and was undone by a rushing touchdown by D’Andre Swift after backup center/fullback Doug Kramer admitted he had forgotten to check in with the official to report the pitch and was reported for an illegal substitution.

“100 percent with me,” said Kramer. “I forgot to check in. I ran onto the field, time was running out, I went into the group and took charge of the game. This is an unacceptable error. Of course I apologized to all my teammates and everyone on offense. “Something like that can’t happen.”

Concerns about Chicago’s execution problems have been discussed for weeks, but the tone of several players in the visitors’ locker room at US Bank Stadium was harsher.

When asked if he could tell the difference between his teammates’ lack of effort or execution, DJ Moore didn’t mince his words.

“No. You can’t tell the difference,” Moore said. “We don’t know where it comes from, but if you don’t put in the effort, there won’t be any implementation.”

Kmet added: “I think what I’ve learned through all of this is that you have to be on your own. Trying to get other people to do certain things or trying to get other people to do certain things takes away from your own preparation. So you have to worry about your own worries and just do your job. And if other people don’t do their job or other people don’t do their job, that’s on them.

The Bears had one of their worst games on third down (1 of 12) at Minnesota; Their only third-down conversion came with 14:52 left in the fourth quarter. It was the Bears’ second game this season in which they had just a single third-down conversion. Chicago has a 32% conversion rate on third down, the second-worst rate in the NFL, behind only the Cleveland Browns (29%).

Many of Williams’ problems came on third down: He was 2 of 7 for 34 yards with two sacks, two scrambles and a fumble, and was pressured on 8 of 11 third down dropbacks (73%), his highest pressure rate third place in his career.