Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears played against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 15. Chicago came into this game with a record of 4-9 after losing seven straight games.
The Bears have already fired Matt Eberflus, but the results have still not improved. Moreover, their rookie quarterback has continued to struggle, and the same happened against the Vikings.
Williams and his teammates were completely shut down in the first half by Minnesota, and they trailed by 13-0 at halftime. The Bears were on their way to a 10th straight loss, and Jason Kelce criticized them while covering the game for ESPN.
Jason Kelce Criticized Caleb Williams and the Bears for MNF Performance
During the ESPN halftime show, Kelce mentioned that the Bears must prove they belong in the NFL.
Jason Kelce on the ESPN Halftime Show:
"Chicago has to prove that they belong in the NFL."
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr23) December 17, 2024
The Bears’ defense has managed to keep the team in the game, but the offense has not looked good at all for a long time. Williams has been notably passive since the team’s early bye week, which may be a contributing factor as to why the team has not won a single game since then.
The Vikings took full advantage of the lack of confidence among the Bears’ offensive players, and they pursued their 12th win of the season.
Williams, who came into the NFL with a reputation for being an explosive quarterback, had an average distance of just 0.6 yards downfield in the first half against the Vikings.
— Wildes (@kevinwildes) December 17, 2024
The way Thomas Brown, the Bears’ interim head coach, has called this game has been quite disappointing to fans. The Vikings’ defense needs to be respected, but a passive game plan while the team is formally out of the playoff race is confusing.
Williams’ performance on the field has not helped the coaches either. He overthrew receivers on multiple occasions, and his rookie season has been a complete disappointment both on an individual and team level.
Bears Have Not Scored in the First Half for Nearly a Month
A scoreless first half against the Vikings means the Bears have not scored a point in the first half for nearly a month. The last time they scored in the first half was in Week 13 (Nov. 24) against the Vikings, coincidentally, when the Bears lost 30-27 in overtime.
Coming into Week 15, the Bears offense averaged 19.5 points per game, eighth-worst in the league.
D’Andre Swift rushed in for a touchdown, but unfortunately for Chicago, it was overturned as one of the Bears’ offensive linemen failed to report as being eligible.
Looking at the box score, it would seem that Williams had a solid game, but that misses out on important context. As mentioned earlier, the Bears quarterback missed some throws that might have made the game much more competitive.
Nevertheless, this season is a learning curve for the USC product. This upcoming offseason, the Bears need to get the right head coach to maximize Williams’ potential to avoid seeing another quarterback fail in Chicago.