Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears opened the season with a 59-37 win over Carolina, a game in which the quarterback looked like the centerpiece of Ben Johnson’s offense, throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns while adding 65 rushing yards and two more scores.
One week later, things turned quickly. Minnesota blitzed the Bears quarterback relentlessly in a rain-soaked 9-3 loss at Soldier Field, and late in the fourth quarter he pulled up untouched on a run near the Vikings’ 6-yard line and left on a cart with a right hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since.
38-year-old QB Case Keenum threw for 247 yards as the Bears beat the Eagles 27-7 on Monday night, and Tyson Bagent then took over for a 23-12 win against the Jets, helped by a ground game that ran for 232 yards.
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That stretch ended Sunday at Lambeau Field, where Bagent was benched after two interceptions in a 31-7 loss to Green Bay that dropped the Bears to 3-2.
Now, with Chicago sitting at 3-2, the news on the quarterback’s recovery is moving in the right direction. Johnson struck an encouraging tone on Monday, saying Williams is “doing a great job progressing” and is “itching to get back as soon as he can.”
NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared the latest update on The Pat McAfee Show, explaining that Williams returned to practice Friday, worked out hard before the Packers game and is now in the fourth week of a three-to-four-week recovery window.
“It looks pretty good for this week,” Rapoport said. “There’s a pretty good chance we see Caleb Williams back [on Sunday], which, like, no disrespect to anyone involved. But the Bears will be better when they have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL out in the field.”
Williams was listed as questionable against Green Bay, though Rapoport said he never really had a chance to play, even after the hard pregame workout he put in.
Chicago travels to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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