The Chicago Bears are dealing with a case of the injury bug ahead of their matchup this week with the New England Patriots. The good vibes in the Windy City have diminished significantly in the last two weeks, beginning with their Hail Mary loss vs the Washington Commanders and continuing to the west coast last week vs the Arizona Cardinals.
While Caleb Williams is playing better than he did the first couple of weeks, his production has dropped off a bit during the losing streak, and recently, the number one overall pick out of USC got one hundred percent candid on the effect those struggles have had on his mentality, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
“It’s frustrating, because I’ve worked hard over the years … of accuracy being the most important thing. I still pride myself on that. Not being accurate, not being on time with things is frustrating,” said Williams.
In the loss vs the Cardinals, Williams completed just 22 of his 41 pass attempts for 217 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. The Bears lost that game in blowout fashion, 29-9.
Can the Bears turn things around?
Just a few weeks ago, the Bears were riding high after a win in London and looked like they belonged right alongside the other juggernauts in the NFC North, which is quickly shaping up to be one of the best divisions that we’ve seen in recent NFL history.
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While the Bears’ defense has continued to play solid (although they weren’t great in Arizona on Sunday), the offense has struggled to hold up its end of the bargain in recent weeks, thanks in no small part to some rather uninventive playcalling from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who has consistently drawn the ire of the fanbase during his tenure there.
While Williams has shown flashes of the undeniable talent that allowed him to ascend to number one overall pick status last summer, his decision making and accuracy issues have hampered what the Bears are trying to do on that side of the ball, even if he isn’t throwing the same reckless interceptions that he was during the first couple of weeks.
In any case, the Patriots present as a “get right” game for the Bears, a chance to work out the flaws against a team that is among the worst in the NFL. The Bears and Patriots are slated to kick off at 1:00 PM ET from Chicago on Sunday.