Chicago Bears Grades: Caleb Williams regresses in Week 3 preseason game vs. Chiefs

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams had one of the best performances of his young career during the team’s Week 2 preseason demolition of the Buffalo Bills. He earned an 80.0 BearsTalk Grade (BTG) after throwing for 107 yards and one touchdown in two series of work.

It was a breakthrough moment for Williams, who, before that Bills game, began trending in the right direction at training camp.

It’s why Friday night’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs was exciting for Bears fans who were hoping to see yet another step forward for Williams and Ben Johnson’s offense.

They didn’t get that. Instead, Chicago — and Williams — seemed to take a step back.

“Offensively, the first two possessions were really sloppy football that has plagued us in and out of camp so far and unfortunately that is what we got here tonight,” Johnson said after the game. “There were a number of things we could have done a better job of.”

Williams’ end-of-game box score was solid. He completed 11-of-15 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown to Rome Odunze. It was nice to see the 2024 first-round duo connect on a few plays, including a 37-yard catch and run by Odunze that set up the TD.

But there were moments when Caleb Williams didn’t perform on the same level as he did against the Bills. It’s why his BTG dropped quite a bit. He finished the Chiefs game with a 68.8 BTG.

Note: A 68.8 isn’t cause for panic. It’s still an above-average BTG.

Caleb Williams’ overall grade still above average vs. Chiefs

Williams’ passing grade — 70.3 — qualified as a ‘good’ score, but his run grade — 56.3 — brought his overall mark down. I dinged Williams’ rushing grade for the botched end-around to Olamide Zaccheaus.

“The good news is we are going to be able to look at this tape and coach it up with our guys,” Johnson said. “It is out of our system hopefully for us going into the regular season. We have to make sure we start faster on offense and on defense.”

An emerging challenge that Williams is facing is the high-level play from backup QB Tyson Bagent. After signing a two-year, $10 million extension this week, Bagent led the Chicago Bears on a fourth-quarter comeback to win the game.

He threw three touchdowns against the Chiefs and looked every bit the part of a future NFL starter.

As Johnson noted, Williams has plenty of time to prepare for the Minnesota Vikings over the next two weeks. With a focused game plan and script for Brian Flores’ defense, the Ben Johnson-led Chicago Bears should look much cleaner on offense in Week 1.

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