Bears QB Caleb Williams has 4 games left to make a statement in the hit-and-miss rookie season

In a season full of self-sabotage by the Bears, they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with four games remaining and are already looking to next season.

Next season, and their future as a whole, depends heavily on rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. The better he plays over the last four games, starting Monday at the Vikings, the more attractive this coaching position will be and the brighter the Bears’ outlook will appear.

His rookie season to this point has not lived up to what anyone, including Williams, expected. He hasn’t come close to his goal of surpassing Texans quarterback CJ Stroud’s stellar rookie season in 2023, and he’s been outplayed by Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels, who was drafted second overall by the Commanders after Williams was no. 1.

Williams has filled both sides of the ledger in his first 13 games. There have been flashes of potential as he put together the best rookie season ever by a Bears quarterback, but that’s a low bar to clear in competition with Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky and other disappointments.

There have also been some concerns and some early season frustrations have resurfaced. Williams now has four games left to show that he is indeed on the right track.

Last week was far from reassuring.

While Williams had an efficient 116.9 passer rating and 73.9 completion percentage against a struggling and battered 49ers team, he needs to be much more productive and more of a catalyst. The Bears were lifeless in the first half, trailing 24-0 and totaling just four net yards on offense. Everything that happened after that was inconsequential in their 38-13 loss.

Williams was 6-for-9 for 27 yards at halftime and finished with just 134 yards. The Bears were unhappy with that kind of output from Fields, and it’s not viable now either. Williams can’t control the Bears’ defense falling apart, but he has to fight harder.

There were also signs of regression.

Williams took seven sacks, pushing his NFL-worst total to 56, and while the flawed offensive line is part of the problem, so is Williams’ tendency to hold the ball too long.

Williams also set an NFL rookie record with 255 consecutive passes without an interception, but that’s not a streak worth maintaining if it means he’s overly conservative. He completed just three passes against the 49ers that threw for 10 or more yards past the line of scrimmage.

The Bears need him to be the engine of their offense and put some fear into opposing secondaries like the league’s best do.

Williams’ last game against the Vikings three weeks ago was a better example of what everyone wants to see.

He got the Bears out to an early lead. He deciphered defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ blitz. He posted 340 yards passing and was also dangerous as a rusher with 33 yards on six carries. He played clean without being overly cautious, throwing 20-plus yards down the field eight times and completing three passes of 30 or more yards. The offense scored 27 points, the most against a good defense this season.

That performance indicated progress and Williams needs to rack up a few more like it.

His highly anticipated rookie season could only be described as a mixed bag. His 87.8 passer rating and 211.2 yards per carry. game is better than any season by Fields, but both numbers were still behind Daniel’s and no. 12 pick Bo Nix among rookies entering Week 15.

It’s hardly “making history” as he aspired to when he talked before the draft about trying to steer the Bears out of their prolonged misery. They are still in it. Williams can use the next four games to give hope that he can eventually lift them to something better.

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