CHGO Digest: Caleb Williams battered behind abhorrent line play

Good morning, friends!

If you can play center or right guard, please report immediately to 1920 Football Drive, Lake Forest, Illinois 60045.

It’s not always going to be peaches and roses as Caleb Williams grows into an NFL-caliber quarterback.

But seven sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and 36 (!!) pressures allowed by the offensive line simply isn’t a healthy environment to support franchise quarterback development.

Plenty to work on for Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron ahead of Week 3.

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— Patrick Norton

Offensive line offers little resistance to Texans’ pass rush

Don’t get me wrong, Caleb Williams is not completely blameless in Sunday night’s defeat. But the line between rookie mistakes and unavoidable catastrophe at the hands of an amateurish offensive line becomes blurred with each passing moment.

Last week against the Titans, Williams’ 19-yard sack was a perfect example of a rookie mistake. Last night’s disaster was something else.

Whether you’re upset with Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis, or Darnell Wright, there’s plenty of blame pie to go around after the Bears’ first loss of the 2024 campaign.

• As Ryan Kesler put in the 2015 Western Conference Final between the Blackhawks and Ducks, “No human can withstand that many hits.” Houston’s pass rush tandem of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter accounted for 17 of the Texans’ 36 individual pressures. After Williams faced pressure on 23/48 dropbacks, members of the line should be thankful that Caleb was physically capable of finishing the game.
  
• Caleb Williams led the Bears in rushing, picking up 44 yards on five rushes. Williams is a deliberate runner. It’s not his first preference, but when there’s space and every option downfield is unavailable, the rookie quarterback can scoot. But Caleb leading the team in rush yards is not ideal, especially when that number is 44. Again, the offensive line’s inability to create running lanes hampered the Bears’ ability to find any sort of rhythm. Leading the charge for the running backs, D’Andre Swift carried the ball 14 times for just 18 yards.
  
• It’s just Week 2. Do yourself a favor and remind yourself of that throughout the next week. However, in two weeks Shane Waldron’s offensive game plan and scheme feel uninspired. It almost feels like the preseason still. No rhyme or reason for the next play call, just throwing something against the wall hoping it sticks. One of the more aggravating aspects of Waldron’s offense is its predictability. Under center? Run. Half back lined up a step behind the quarterback? Run. Anything else? Most likely a pass.
  
• After the game, Caleb Williams mentioned he was “a little bruised up.” That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Nobody on the line is shying away from what happened on Sunday night. Asked about the most important thing going forward to making the offense click, Teven Jenkins said, “Protecting Caleb.” Coleman Shelton praised No. 18 for his toughness, “Obviously, we got to keep him clean. We can’t let him take those shots.” But how much can change in seven days to keep Caleb Williams upright against Indianapolis?
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | Nicholas Moreano was in the Bears’ locker room after Sunday night’s dud and asked Jenkins and Shelton how the Bears can turn things around quickly.

Joe’s on Weed St. this Sunday!

Join CHGO’s Corey Wootton, Alex Brown, Lance Briggs, and the rest of the CHGO Bears crew for a special CHGO Bears Watch Party during the Bears-Colts game at Joe’s Bar on Weed Street.

Red flags, yellow flags, no flags

• Matt Eberflus went 0/2 on challenges on Sunday night. His first came on a clear reception by Stefon Diggs in the first quarter. The play ended right in front of Eberflus, but the flag still flew. In the fourth quarter, the head coach reached into his pocket again, caving to pressure from Kyler Gordon after the nickel nearly intercepted C.J. Stroud. The review was closer than the Diggs catch, but not nearly enough to warrant an overturn.
  
• A scuffle on the Bears’ sideline after Caleb Williams took a hit heading out of bounds resulted in Roschon Johnson — who was not involved in the play or the skirmish — getting punched by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Despite the random escalation, Al-Shaair was not penalized.
  
• To add insult to injury for the Bears’ offensive line, Nate Davis (twice), Darnell Wright, and Marcedes Lewis picked up false starts. But the most Bears penalty of the night? A delay of game out of a timeout. Plenty to clean up at Halas Hall before heading to Indianapolis.
  

📖 READ | The CHGO Bears crew’s instant reactions to the Bears’ miserable night.

CHGO Bears Postgame

🎧 SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | Caleb Williams takes a BEATING as Texans defeat Bears on Sunday Night Football

Briggs & Brown

🎧 SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | Lance Briggs & Alex Brown break down Chicago Bears’ rough loss vs Texans

Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

🍻 9/22 | CHGO Bears Watch Party at Joe’s On Weed St. — Week 3 vs. Colts
🍻 9/29 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! — Week 4 vs. Rams
🍻 10/6 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! – Week 5 vs. Panthers

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