Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears may have pulled off a narrow victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, but the turnover disparity in the box score is something that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Williams threw four interceptions in the 27-24 win to go along with his two touchdown passes. Three of his interceptions came in the second quarter. He now has eight touchdown passes and five interceptions through six games for the Bears this season.
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The idea that a top NFL quarterback needs to be smarter with the football isn’t really the hottest take someone could make. The Bears are on a four-game winning streak and appear poised to take the lead in the hotly contested NFC North. But that notion didn’t seem to come up during his postgame press conference.
Williams vowed that he will continue to throw the ball down the field until he can’t anymore – even if it means throwing “100 picks” in one game.
“I’mma throw ‘til I can’t throw anymore,” he said. “That’s how I live. I work my tail off to be in this position. I’ll never not throw the ball. I could throw 100 picks in one game. If it comes down to it, I’m going to throw that pass that I threw to Colston (Loveland) or if it’s a tighter window, I’m going to rip it in there. That’s how I grew up. That’s what I am. I don’t get gun-shy. That’s not me. That’s not my identity. And with that, I’m gonna keep ripping it, keep ripping it. Coach calls it, it’s time to go make a play. Go through my reads. If it’s not there, check it down. If the shot’s there, take it.
“They did a great job, offensive line, right there on that last one to Colston. Colston ran a great route, ended up being wide open. They got confused with the tempo plus the motions and then from there, like I said, ran a great route, protect the football and got down.”
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NFL fans love the big throw when it works and don’t appreciate enough when a quarterback checks the ball down to a running back in the flat or takes a sack instead of wildly throwing balls into double or triple coverage. NFL teams feel the opposite, especially as the season heads into the winter months when the playoffs get closer.
Williams and the Bears cannot afford costly turnovers. The team came away unscathed as the four interceptions led to just a field goal from the Buccaneers.
With every team in the division having at least six wins this season, games are going to be tighter and better decisions are going to be made. Chicago’s two losses came within the division – against the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers.
Chicago still has two games against the Detroit Lions on its schedule plus one-game each against the Packers and Vikings. The turnover bug historically haunts quarterbacks who are not careful. Being gun-shy is one thing and being able to know when a window to a prospective receiver is closed is another.
The division is extremely close at this point of the season and the Bears cannot afford stupid turnovers to bury them when the time comes.