LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams insisted he won’t be motivated by comparisons to C.J. Stroud when the Chicago Bears visit the Houston Texans on Sunday night.
The quarterback drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by the Bears simply wants to do better after a less-than-dazzling debut and help his team come away with another win.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner at Southern California got bailed out by the defense and special teams as the Bears rallied to beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17 in the season opener. He could be missing two of this top wide receivers this week with Rome Odunze (sprained knee) and Keenan Allen (heel) sitting out practice on Wednesday.
“I didn’t have obviously the performance I wanted to, so trying to figure it out as fast as possible, making sure we are on the same page, making sure we are handling things that we need to handle,” Williams said Wednesday. “Like I said, all the small things become a lot larger on game day. Making sure we handle those things, myself included. Progressing from there.”
Williams wasn’t all that interested in any comparisons to Stroud and the path he followed last year in a dazzling rookie season.
The Texans’ quarterback threw for more than 4,100 yards and was AP Offensive Player of the Year after being drafted out of Ohio State with the No. 2 overall pick. He helped the Texans go from worst to first in the AFC South.
“My motivation is to be the best for the Chicago Bears, win games, get to the playoffs and you know, win games there. I’m trying to do my best, day in and day out, mentally, physically, rest and make sure I sleep well, I eat well, Make sure I’m doing all the right things throughout the week and the weeks leading up to the game to make sure that I’m there to the best of my ability for my team.”
The Bears are counting on Williams to become the sort of quarterback Chicago has craved for years. But the opener served as a reminder: He is far from a finished product.
Williams looked every bit like a rookie, completing just 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards, except he did something no quarterback drafted with the No. 1 overall pick had done in more than two decades. He won his first start.
That hadn’t happened since David Carr led Houston past Dallas in 2002. The past 15 No. 1 picks were a combined 0-14-1 in first starts, beginning with Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer in 2003.
“You woke up and realize that you won your first game in the NFL regardless of how you felt of your performance,” Williams said. “We won our first game and felt super excited. Felt super excited about not necessarily how I actually performed, but like I said being able to come out with that win and being able to help lead these guys to that win. Feels good, really excited. It builds confidence when you can come out and do that.”
The Bears trailed Tennessee 17-0, yet managed to come away with the win even though their offense produced just 148 yards and zero touchdowns. Williams overthrew some receivers and had a few throws batted at the line. He said he rushed his drop-backs, which threw off the timing, and insisted those issues should not be too difficult to address.
“It’s not throws that I usually miss throughout all the time that I’ve been playing quarterback,” he said.
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