Caleb Williams borders on guilt-tripping.
Then he thought better of it.
The Chicago Bears rookie quarterback wasn’t denying that he lost a third-quarter frailty. But for a moment, he didn’t seem relieved to own it.
What happened on the pass was that he started to throw and instead lost enough backward speed
“Time-wise we were just — ourselves — a little off,” Williams said after a 38-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “So I was throwing the ball and the timing was a little off. I held onto the ball and my hand was still coming forward and it was ruled a foul.”
The play in question was far from the Bears’ first error.
Yes, the Bears missed a chance to cut the lead by just one touchdown (plus a successful 2-point conversion) and field goal this drive ended in the end zone instead of a turnover. Instead, the 49ers capitalized on their gifted possession by marching 62 yards in five plays, extending their lead to 25 points.
But a detailed ESPN analysis of the probability of winning at every play point in the game reflected how unlikely a comeback already was. According to ESPN’s model, the Bears had a 4.9% chance to win before the game. Later they had a 1.7% chance.
So Williams’ correction of “we” to “himself” in taking accountability didn’t accurately reflect how devastating that snap was after a first half that left Chicago more vulnerable to trying to regroup in its first game since firing head coach Matt Eberflus. .
Rather, Williams’ correction is important because it reflects an understanding that perhaps the full context of the play was not the best answer to share at that moment.
Did Williams’ receiver suddenly misdirect a route, causing hesitation on a throw he originally stopped throwing? Did Williams’ defense slide in the wrong direction, thus not buying enough time to develop the route Williams wanted to throw on this second-and-8 play call?
Even interim head coach Thomas Brown, in his fourth game in Chicago’s play and his first game directing the entire operation, didn’t deliver the play-calling the way Williams fully realized. None of that was the point.
What’s important about Williams’ response is that he leaned into, rather than shied away from, accountability.
After the Browns blamed the locker room and reporters alike for the comments, perhaps Williams realized that he too had more to gain than to lose from taking ownership.
“I’ll start with what I addressed with the team: We kicked our butt,” Brown began his first postgame news conference as head coach. “We will always be straightforward, honest and open about the things that happened.”
The bears separated early, then couldn’t regroup quickly enough
A popular football saying is that the game isn’t over until the clock runs out.
Coaches want to promote that at halftime, the score might as well be 0-0 and players should gear up their efforts and focus accordingly.
Well, Chicago had zero points. But San Francisco had 24.
The Bears had 4 first-half yards as a team, their smallest output since 1991. And they allowed 319 to the 49ers before halftime, according to broadcast graphics, the 315-yard differential at halftime of any NFL game this season.
The Bears averaged 0.2 yards per play in the first half, the third-lowest by a team since 2012, according to TruMedia Sports.
Brown was later asked: How did he wrap his head around the huge divide?
“I don’t,” he said. “Kicked our ass. Like I said, don’t be aggressive on the grass. Did not convert on third down. And obviously we gave up too much explosiveness on defense.”
The problems the Bears faced were multifaceted, some reflecting Chicago’s weaknesses and others speaking more to the 49ers’ strengths. On offense, the Bears leaned heavily on the pass in the first half and ended up with unfavorable yardage on third downs. Williams had seven sacks, continuing his reign as the most sacked player across the league.
On defense, the 49ers leaned on a scheme that tight end George Kittle said they used against Eberflus-designed teams during the coach’s time as Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator, Bears head coach, and don’t now.
“They do a lot with how they do stunts [to] Increase their pressure and we knew if we could catch them on one of them on a screen, they were going to be completely out,” Kittle said after a monster day in which he racked up 151 yards on just six targets. “They just played upfield and then our offensive line did a great job.
“The way they stepped up on our defense, we thought we could exploit that.”
The Bears opened the third quarter more smoothly, with run-pass balance leading to first- and second-down efficiency that ultimately spurred a nine-plus-minute touchdown drive.
Chicago’s defense immediately forced a three-and-out, signaling a second-half comeback that could resemble the Bears’ recent slow start. Ten days ago, the Detroit Lions outscored Chicago 16-0 in the first half and the Bears posted 23 points to Detroit’s seven in the second half.
Williams found receiver Rom Odunge for 17 yards, building chemistry between fellow rookies who would score two touchdowns together at Levi’s Stadium. He found Kenan Allen at the 14 and ran 2 yards out of bounds.
Then, Williams wound up his throw but turned as he let the ball slip, causing the ball to go backward instead of forward as defensive lineman Evan Anderson approached. Replay review is a fragile confirmation.
On second thought, Williams also confirmed one.
“We started to have something and I ended up bumping the ball, I guess,” Williams said before rethinking his phrasing and settling on a clean delivery. “I guess not – I fumbled the ball. And our momentum and things like that started to go down from there and they scored again. When you have points off turnovers and you’re already down, it’s tough.
“We have to screw the screws and stay on point. It didn’t happen today.”
What can Chicago build from here?
Accountability won’t win Bears games. Persistent miscommunication and operational disconnection will not occur.
Brown refused to take responsibility for the quick turnaround, instead saying “I don’t make excuses” and that the result of the loss is what he will focus on the most.
But Kittle’s comments about what was right for the 49ers stand in stark contrast to the Bears’ situation.
The tight end talked about how three years in the system helped Brock Purdy have his 325-yard, two-touchdown day while Kittle’s veteran status worked to his advantage rather than disadvantage.
“[Purdy] I’m very comfortable in this offense now and I’ve been running it for eight years so it’s fun to get back out there and just know, ‘Hey I’m getting the ball, whatever,’ so when the ball hits my chest, I grunt and stumble and Stumbled,” Kittle said. “I think coach [Kyle] Shanahan is calling plays and when you call plays and you make the right assumptions against certain defenses, that’s how you get open sometimes.”
Williams, on the other hand, went deep into his Rolodex of euphemisms to describe how the musical chair coaching staff affected the staff’s effectiveness in communicating with him.
“When you have these promotions, when you have these situations that we’ve had, coaches have been fired and stuff like we’ve had, people have earned or been promoted to new jobs and there are new things that they have to deal with,” Williams said. “So when you You have to add more to what you’re already doing and it’s something new and it’s live bullets flying, every once in a while — things are going to happen, communication is going to be different from what it was you were in before because you have more on your plate. There are many things.
“But I think we did well today with the situation that happened.”
The Bears just couldn’t execute, especially in the first half when they fell into such a deep hole that they statistically had no chance of getting out. And while Williams didn’t do well to turn the ball over to compound that hole, the ensuing score also reflected the defense’s inability to stop the Niners.
But a better second half than a first half proves Chicago’s struggles to build on, and the open ownership of the head coach and quarterback could set Chicago up to build a habit even if they’re not favored to pile many more wins on top of their current one. 4-9 records.
“I’ve got to do a better job of having a better game plan on both sides of the ball, so they can execute better, and obviously continue to challenge our guys to be their best,” Brown said. “Also encourage those boys and claim that we are still united. It’s a grown man’s business: there’s no lying down or quitting on our football team, which I love.
“The goal is to win football games and we didn’t. So that will be my only focus today and going forward.”
