What we learned as Caleb Williams finishes with wave of brilliance in Bears’ preseason win vs. Bengals

What we learned as Caleb Williams finishes with wave of brilliance in Bears’ preseason win vs. Bengals originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

CHICAGO — Through one-and-half quarters Saturday at Soldier Field, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and the first-team offense were stuck spinning their wheels against the Cincinnati Bengals second-team defense.

Things were clunky, disjointed, and rickety. Passes were dropped, assignments missed, and protection was spotty.

But Williams rectified all that with a brilliant series of moments to end the first half of the Bears’ 27-3 win over the Bengals. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent finished off the Bengals with two touchdown passes to Dante Pettis in the second half.

Williams’ stat line — 6-for-13 for 75 yards and a 7-yard rushing touchdown — won’t jump off the page. But three plays that ended Williams’ day — and perhaps his preseason — were yet another signal of the bright future that awaits the Bears.

Here’s what we learned in the Bears’ 27-3 win vs. the Bengals at Soldier Field:

The ascension is coming

Williams started his second career preseason game slowly.

Through three-plus drives, Williams’ two most notable plays were a throwaway that resulted in an intentional grounding flag and a 43-yard pass interference penalty that came on a deep throw to Tyler Scott that fell incomplete.

But Williams turned what was a disappointing day into a positive on his final drive.

On second-and-10 from the Bengals’ 48-yard line, Williams evaded pressure to the left and threw a strike off his backfoot to Rome Odunze for a gain of 45 down the left sideline.

Williams then froze a rusher to buy time before ripping a dart to Odunze in the end zone for what should have been his first career (unofficial) touchdown. However, the rookie wide receiver was out of bounds when he caught the ball.

While the play resulted in an incomplete pass, Williams’ should-have-been touchdown strike to Odunze was a play worth remembering.

The rookie quarterback…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-caleb-williams-finishes-wave-193017702.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-08-17 19:30:17

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