BearsTalk Grades are in: How Caleb Williams and the offense really scored in Week 1

The Chicago Bears didn’t have the start to the 2025 NFL season we were hoping for. Far from it.

Sure, Caleb Williams looked like a reborn quarterback during his first series under the watchful eye of Ben Johnson, but the excitement slowly drained like the 17-6 lead the Bears held in the second half.

The end result was a 27-24 Bears loss. Williams was outplayed (in the second half) by J.J. McCarthy. And, of course, the whispers about the 2024 first overall pick being a bust are growing louder by the day.

We’ll be grading every snap of every Bears player every week here on BearsTalk (a soon-to-be premium feature) in an effort to go beyond the noise, stats, and final score.

For Williams, his Week 1 BearsTalk Grade (BTG) was a mixed bag; it was far from a great performance.

Here’s how Week 1 ended up for Bears players on offense.

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DJ Moore: 79.1

-Moore ended Week 1 with a team-high 68 yards on three receptions, but he could’ve had a lot more than that. He was open on several downfield opportunities that Caleb Williams either didn’t see or didn’t have time to see, earning a receiving grade of 82.4.

Darnell Wright: 78.6

-Wright continues to fly under the radar as the Bears’ best all-around offensive lineman. He was at it again in Week 1, with a 78.6 overall grade that was boosted by his 83.5 in pass protection.

Joe Thuney: 77.9

-Thuney’s debut as a Bear was impressive, earning the third-highest BTG on offense and the team’s top score in pass protection (84.1).

Rome Odunze: 72.8

-Odunze was a bit of a disappointment for me. His route tempo and overall explosiveness seemed limited on a number of reps. I expect his production will increase over time, but he didn’t look like the kind of explosive playmaker worthy of a top-10 pick in Week 1. There’s a long way to go, but Odunze needs to start making some ‘wow’ plays sooner rather than later.

Olamide Zaccheaus: 70.8

-Zaccheaus was fine as the Bears’ WR3, but I think what we saw in Week 1 is about the best of what we’ll see from him all year: a reliable mid-level target who can move the chains when his number is called. He won’t be much of a game-changer for Chicago in 2025.

Braxton Jones: 69.8

-Jones was up and down in Week 1. In some pass protection reps, he looked like a viable option as a long-term left tackle. There were others in which he got bullied into the backfield by power. He ended the game with a 73.1 BTG in pass protection that was brought down by his 64.2 in the run game. I don’t see the Bears making a change anytime soon at left tackle, so get used to this level of play.

Luther Burden: 69.8

-There’s no denying Burden has the most juice on the Bears roster at wide receiver. He didn’t get much of a chance to showcase it against the Vikings, unfortunately. Burden ended the game with -3 yards on his only target, and finished with the Bears’ lowest receiving BTG (66.7). He was solid as a run blocker (75.0), showing a willingness to get to his assignment and compete.

Caleb Williams: 67.9

-Caleb had some wow throws. No doubt about it. But I dinged him on reps that, even though they were short completions, had opportunities for chunk gains downfield. Williams looked a bit skiddish in the pocket; perhaps it’s what happens for a young quarterback playing his first game in a new system against one of the NFL’s more ferocious defenses. Williams definitely had his moments. I marked 10 of his reps with the highest possible grade. That said, he had another 10 plays with a negative grade. Hopefully, that gets ironed out.

Colston Loveland: 67.9

-The first-round rookie didn’t make the kind of impact in the passing game that was predicted since April. He ended Week 1 with two catches for 12 yards and some struggles in the run game. His run blocking BTG (61.1) was among the worst on the team and hurt his 76.6 receiving grade. Despite only making two catches, Loveland displayed some route-running chops that should have Bears fans excited.

Drew Dalman: 67.9

-Dalman’s first game with the Bears wasn’t the best showing, although he was still an upgrade over Chicago’s previous few starting centers. He finished Week 1 with a 68.8 score in pass protection and a 66.4 in the run game. He should be a reliable starter moving forward (at the very worst).

Cole Kmet: 67.1

-There were plenty of reps where Kmet looked like a more impressive player than Loveland, but he had some flops, too. Kmet struggled as a blocker, both in pass protection (58.3) and run blocking (56.3) but looked good running routes (75.0). The duo of Kmet and Loveland will be a valuable asset for Williams in the passing game, but Kmet must become a better finisher at the point of attack to enhance his value to Ben Johnson’s offense.

D’Andre Swift: 64.1

-Swift looked very much like a replaceable starter in Week 1. He registered a putrid 37.1 outside rushing grade, and his inside running (60.4) wasn’t much better. He was OK in the passing game, which salvaged what would’ve been a horrendous Week 1. Sure, Swift had a few notable runs where he flashed some potential as a power runner, but these were fleeting moments. I’d expect a heavy rotation to emerge in the backfield very soon.

Theo Benedet: 62.5

-Benedet only played a handful of snaps in Week 1. A larger sample size is needed to gauge his level of play.

Jonah Jackson: 59.8

-Jackson was undeniably the worst performer on offense in Week 1. He scored a 57.9 pass blocking grade and a 63.2 run blocking BTG. The Bears paid big money to Jackson via a contract extension (three years, $52 million), and after one week, it doesn’t look like the smartest investment. It’s a long season, however, and Jackson will have plenty of time to prove his worth.

Kyle Monangai: 56.3

-Monangai didn’t get many snaps, and like Benedet, needs more reps to fully grade. But he looks like a real liability in pass protection. Until he gets that straightened out, his reps will likely remain limited.

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