LAKE FOREST — Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and interim head coach Thomas Brown spoke with reporters Monday, following the team’s ninth consecutive loss to the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field.
For the third week in a row, the Bears struggled to remain competitive. The defense had difficulty stopping the Lions’ potent offense, and Williams and the offense turned the ball over twice in their first three possessions.
With a short week ahead, the Bears returned to work on Monday in preparation for their third game in 11 days, set to host the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. Here are three key takeaways from Monday’s press conference.
On Williams taking chances, feeling more comfortable
One of the few bright spots during the Bears’ losing streak has been Williams’ growth. He showcased that improvement with his second touchdown pass on Sunday.
Earlier in the second quarter, Williams missed a deep pass to receiver DJ Moore, overthrown by about 10 yards. However, he succeeded with another deep attempt at the end of the first half, connecting with Keenan Allen for a 45-yard touchdown down the sideline between two Lions defenders.
This touchdown marked Williams’ longest pass of his career, and in Brown’s view, it helped refute the notion that Williams is too conservative with the football.
“Shooters shoot and he definitely does, which I appreciate,” Brown said. “So I’m going to continue to give him opportunities to shoot.”
With two games remaining in his rookie season, Williams has already made history, breaking the Bears’ rookie quarterback passing record and setting the NFL record for most consecutive passes by a rookie without an interception. Despite the Bears’ struggles, Williams has thrown 10 touchdowns without an interception during their losing streak.
However, Williams acknowledges areas that need improvement. He has fumbled in each of the last three games and aims to be more efficient with his cadence and awareness at the line of scrimmage.
Nevertheless, Williams feels more at ease with the offense 15 games into his career.
“I’m a lot more comfortable with that,” Williams said. “Getting up there, being faster with the cadence and things like that. Getting up there and sending the motions of when they need to be snapped. Sending the motion and using my cadence with the motion to be able to undress, to be able to figure out what they’re in or figure out what they’re about to do or have an idea at least.”
On the lack of offensive line continuity
Brown confirmed that left tackle Braxton Jones will undergo ankle surgery after suffering an injury in Sunday’s loss and will miss the rest of the season. Left guard Teven Jenkins also left the game with a calf injury and is day-to-day, with a possibility to play against the Seahawks.
Injuries have been a recurring issue for the offensive line throughout the season. Aside from center Coleman Shelton, every other starter from the opening game has missed at least one game, leading to inconsistency and errors.
“Health is a big part of it,” Brown said. “When you have different moving pieces, guys playing in multiple different spots, left side, right side, starting, backing up, the offensive line is a big continuity position, so having those five guys in unison as much as you can, taking reps to communicate things properly, to get the same looks over and over again, that makes it difficult.”
Although the Bears allowed only one sack and three quarterback hits on Williams in Sunday’s game, their offensive line has struggled to protect him throughout the season. Williams has been sacked a franchise-record 59 times this year.
The Bears will explore all options for replacing Jones, including veteran Larry Borum and third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie. Brown explained that Borum was chosen to be active over Amegadjie for Sunday’s game due to his ability to play on both sides of the line.
Williams noted that a lack of consistency in the offensive line affects him more than the hits he takes. He explained that a quarterback needs to build a connection with his linemen to understand their blocking tendencies.
“It sucks having our guys go down because yes, you do kind of get a feel for how your linemen block and how they block together,” Williams said. “So having those two guys go down, you don’t have as many reps with a couple of the other guys. In a way, you don’t lose the connection, but it’s a little bit different.”
On more defensive lapses
The Bears defense gave up more explosive plays in Sunday’s loss to the Lions.
While much of the focus was on the fake fumble play, Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams outran Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and safety Jonathan Owens for an 82-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
“Poor eyes,” Brown said of the play. “Eyes in the wrong spot. Also just playing flat foot from a post safety standpoint. From the standpoint of being able to getting a super-fast receiver but got to put a roof on the top shelf for the coverage.”
Throughout the Bears’ losing streak, particularly since the firing of former head coach Matt Eberflus, the defense has allowed numerous explosive plays. The Bears have given up an average of 34 points and 418.7 total yards per game in the past three games since Eberflus’ departure.
Brown didn’t specify all the reasons for the defense’s struggles but acknowledged the impact of injuries. The Bears have been without safety Jaquan Brisker, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, and other key players at various points in the season.
“Injuries always play a role,” Brown said. “When it comes to rotating a couple different guys in different spots, but just the stuff we’ve got to get cleaned up when it comes to limiting the explosives, being able to sustain, get guys off the grass a little bit faster, particularly when I talk about third downs.”
