The first thing that comes to mind any time the Chicago Bears play the Indianapolis Colts is Devin Hester’s opening kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLI.
After that (for me, at least), it’s Matt Forte’s NFL debut in Indianapolis in Week 1 of the 2008 NFL season. Forte broke off a 50-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and never looked back, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the Colts.
Seeing Forte break out like that was a rarity for Bears fans, who hardly get to see a rookie have a performance like that. Even today, we eagerly anticipate Caleb Williams’ breakout rookie game and his welcome to the league. A signature game that we can point to when we play the Colts again in four, eight, 12, or even 16 years like Forte’s.
Could Williams give us the next great memory in a matchup between two teams that could be fierce regional rivals i💯f not for their conference alignment?
We hope so.
When it comes to Williams, much of the fan base is so (justifiably) eager for that performance that we find ourselves in a bit of a panic this week. While I understand the emotion that’s led us here as a collective, it’s not warranted. Not yet, anyway.
Williams has played two NFL games. Last week, he played as good a half of football as any rookie quarterback in the le𓆉ague this season. His first half in Houston was chock full of examples of why Williams was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. He played in structure, got rid of the ball quickly, and threw with anticipation.
The counter-argument is that he didn’t hit the deep balls. My counter-argument is that he will hit the deep balls. That was his calling card in college. Why aren’t we more excited that he’s doing the things in question during his evaluation process? Everyone agreed that Williams’ most significant hurdle in the NFL would be playing in structure (because they didn’t do their homework and saw that he was plenty capable of it at USC when asked to do it).
In Week 2, I saw a quarterback put those doubts to bed. I saw a rookie quarterback doing all the operational things at the line of scrimmage beforꦆe the snap, like adjusting his protections and reading the defense.
For everyone who slandered his ability to do anything but 𒉰run around and fire off deep balls, you should be ecstatic after two games.
The deep ball will come. Williams found out the hard way last week how small windows are in this league and how quickly they close. He said this week that he made two stupid mistakes, and they won’t happen again.
Do I think he’s never going to throw another interception again? No. Of course not. But that’s not what he meant. He was referring to the mechanic behind the result. I believe him when he says he will correct it. He’s a brilliant football mind and a quick study, and one thing I highlighted throughout the pre-draft process film studies here at BN was his ability to make corrections, not just throughout a season or week to week, but drive to drive. Sometimes, even play to play.
I’ll reference this from my film study of his performance against Oregon last season:
He also learns from his mistakes. The Oregon game showed us a perfect exampleꦚ of Williams correcting a mistake and seeing it pay off right away. Lincoln Riley dials up a comeback route for Brenden Rice at the goal line on back-to-back plays. On the first play, Williams throws to the wrong side of Rice and the cornerback was able to break the pass up. On the next play, Williams sticks it on the pylon side where only Rice can catch it for a USC touchdown.
He’s going to correct the deep ball accuracy. That’s the least of my concerns right now. He’s already done more in two weeks in structure than some thought he would even be capable of at this level. He’s going to be fine.
Still, I want that signature rookie performance as much as anyone and this weeꦑk seems like a perfect time for it.
Game Info
Chicago Bears (2024: 1-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (2024: 0-2)
TV: CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty, AJ Ross)
Streaming: *, Paramount
Radio: ESPN 1000 AM (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Jason McKie); Westwood One Radio (Ryan Radtke, Mike Golic)
Kickoff Time: Noon CT
Site: Lucas Oil Stadium; Indianapolis, IN.
Referee: Adrian Hill
Odds: Colts -1, O/U 43.5 (via DraftKings)
Bears Projected Starters
Offense
Defense
Specialists
Colts Projected Starters
Offense
Defense
Specialists
Three Bears
Every week, our Chicago Bears writers will give you their Bears player to watch in the matchup ahead. Three Bears is a staple of these previews, and with Bears coverage expanding this season, I thought it would be cool to involve all of the Bears thinkers in the exercise.
Matt Rooney: Montez Sweat — Sweat has been fine this year, but I feel like we’re still waiting for that breakout moment. The rest of the DL has been outstanding through two games, which should, in theory, free up Sweat a little bit at times (even though he’ll still get the most attention). I’d love to see that breakout game from him on Sunday.
Luis Medina: Coleman Shelton — The center is the only Bears starting interior offensive lineman who didn’t spend time on the injury report. Hence, it is easy for me to make a pitch for him as the most important offensive lineman going into Chicago’s Week 3 game against the Colts. A rough start to his tenure in Chicago means the bar is ridiculously low for Shelton. At this point, all I’m asking him to be is a stabilizer for an offensive line that needs it in the worst way after last week’s debacle in Houston.
Patrick Flowers: Caleb Williams — Full transparency: I waffled back and forth all morning between Williams and D’Andre Swift because I think getting the running game going early this week is critical for the Bears, but I landed on Williams in the end. You can be as mad as you want, but Caleb Williams’ Week 2 tape wasn’t as bad as anyone wants you to believe. His first half was arguably the best stretch of football we’ve seen from any rookie quarterback through the season’s first two weeks. But as I said when I broke the film down, he still needs to improve. This week, he will be able to do just that.
