Caleb Williams — Week 1: Four Touchdowns, Two of Them on His Legs
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Williams completed twenty-one of twenty-nine throws for two hundred sixty-nine yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, and ran ten times for sixty-five yards and two more scores — a nine-yard scramble on third and six in the first quarter and a twenty-nine-yard scramble with thirty-two seconds left in the half that broke a 24–24 tie. Chicago converted ten of fourteen third downs in a 59–37 win over the Panthers.
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24 to 24, 32 seconds left in the second quarter, first and 10 at the Carolina 29. Caleb Williams kept it and went around left end for a 29-yard touchdown. The run was worth +4.0 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 11.4 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it, the second-largest swing any Bears pass or run produced all afternoon. The drive had opened at the Chicago 20 with a sack; five plays from scrimmage later, the last of them 24 yards to Luther Burden and then the scramble, Chicago led 31 to 24 at the half.
The passing line: 21 completions on 29 throws, 269 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, two sacks, and +13.9 expected points on 31 pass plays. The touchdowns were 22 yards deep left to Cole Kmet on first and 10 with 14 oh five left in the second quarter, Chicago up 14 to seven, and one yard to Jahdae Walker on third and one with six 32 left in the fourth, up 45 to 31. Four of the eight incompletions were deep throws. The first half was 16 throws for a hundred 96 yards; the second was 13 for 73. He also carried 10 times — seven of them scrambles — for 65 yards and two touchdowns. The one that went wrong was fourth and one at the Chicago 21 with 10 35 left in the second quarter, up 21 to 14: up the middle, no gain, −3.4 expected points, and Carolina tied it three plays from scrimmage later.
The ball went nine times to Kalif Raymond, five to Burden, three each to Kmet and Rome Odunze, two each to Colston Loveland and Kyle Monangai, one each to Walker and D'Andre Swift, and three throws carry no receiver. Chicago ran 39 times for 291 yards and six touchdowns against 31 pass plays; the throwing was the smaller half of the offense. On third down Williams threw eight times and completed all eight, seven of them for first downs; the ninth third-down pass play was a sack. Chicago converted 10 of 14.
Back in June the preview called Williams a top-five finish on bottom-tier accuracy — a QB5 season across 17 games, driven by volume, with an accuracy problem the box score papered over. Sunday the box score and the plays said the same thing: 21 of 29, no interceptions, eight of eight on third down. One afternoon in a shootout cannot retire the accuracy question, and it was the first afternoon in a long time that did not raise it. Chicago is home to the Vikings on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
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