How Chicago Bears rookie Caleb Williams made a milestone with a lackluster game

CHICAGO - It was a frustrating day for the Chicago Bears' offense. 

In the end, No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the first-string offense produced 11 total points: three field goals and a two-point conversion.

Williams was shaky. He wasn't as accurate as we had seen in practice leading up to Week 1.

He was still good enough to be the first No. 1 overall pick to win his first-career start since David Carr in 2002.

"I'll be honest with you, I feel great," Williams said. "I understand that obviously the stats weren't where I wanted to be and things like that, because I want to go out there and perform to the best of my ability and didn't do that today. So, we're going to get better tomorrow."

The thing about Williams' performance isn't just that it was less than stellar.

He finished completing 14 of his 29 passes for just 93 yards with no touchdowns and a rating of 55.7. The Bears' offense was 2 of 13 on third down, and had 148 total net yards on the afternoon.

He missed two touchdown throws to Keenan Allen and another big gain to DeAndre Carter. Williams recalled the latter after the game.

That's not exactly the outing Bears fans were hoping for, especially given what they saw in the preseason and through training camp.

But, what Williams did do was value the football.

There were no touchdowns to highlight after the game, sure. But there were no interceptions.

In a game that was decided by a disastrous interception by Titans' quarterback Will Levis, Williams didn't turn the ball over. He kept calm. He didn't try to force any plays at all.

That's important, especially when Sunday's offensive frustrations reminded Williams of his worst college game. 

In the 2023 season, Williams and USC melted down in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame intercepted Williams four times in a blowout win over the Trojans. That loss left such an indelible mark, Williams wouldn't even refer to Notre Dame by name.

"That blue and gold team Cole Kmet played for," Williams said. 

The difference between that disaster and now was Williams' maturity. In not forcing anything, Williams didn't risk anything.

There will be plenty of time to throw off-balance touchdowns off one leg through plenty of yards in the air. On Sunday, Williams didn't need that.

He needed to be centered, and he was.

"Calm, cool, and collected the whole time," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. "Never got frustrated."

That second part isn't entirely true.

Williams was frustrated. He just didn't show it.

"It was a frustrating game," Williams said. "But the most important thing is that – and it shows a bunch of the personality of this team I would say – the fight, the resiliency that we had."

After earning his first NFL win, Williams didn't shy away from the moment.

The player who said he's all business when he touches the grass, took it in. After all, he wasn't on the grass anymore.

He still made a personal promise.

"I sat down and enjoyed the moment, just watching all the guys celebrate, understanding that I need to be better," Williams said. "I will be better."