The Chicago Bears are holding their breath because Caleb Williams is injured and had to be helped off the field by two trainers who held him up as he limped.
After he reached the sideline, Williams was taken to the team’s medical tent and then was carted to the Bears’ locker room for further medical assistance.
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Williams grabbed at his right hamstring as he was trying to escape a tackle from Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. He writhed in pain on the field until help arrived.
The Bears announced Williams suffered a hamstring injury. He did not return to the game against the Vikings.
When he left the field, Williams implored the home crowd at Soldier Field and gave them a thumbs up.
It is unclear how this injury will impact that team’s season until an MRI can determine the injury’s severity.
“We’ll know tomorrow,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said.
The concern, even if a hamstring injury sounds mundane, is whether it is merely strained or torn.
If it is torn, the injury could take between 3–6 months to recover, depending on the severity of the tear. A less severe hamstring injury could be a 1–3 week recovery time.
Backup, Tyson Bagent, took over at quarterback for the Bears after Williams departed.
The Bears lost this game against the Vikings and a season that began with high hopes is in limbo for the moment.
Williams, in his third NFL season after making significant progress in 2025 under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, led the Bears to an 11–6 record, the NFC North title and their first playoff appearance since 2020 while setting a franchise record with 3,942 passing yards and producing 31 total touchdowns.
Williams carried that momentum into the 2026 opener, completing 21 of 29 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 65 yards and two more scores in Chicago’s 59-37 victory over Carolina.
“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee,” Johnson said. “That was my first inclination. But, yeah, a hamstring could be pretty damaging as well.
“We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow.”