Caleb Williams’ night ended in a hurry Sunday, and the way it ended had Bears fans holding their breath.
In the fourth quarter of Chicago’s Week 2 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears quarterback tried to scramble and punch in a score that would have put his team in front. Instead, he went down in pain without being touched. What first looked like a trip turned out to be something else entirely on replay, as Williams fell under his own power.
The reaction was immediate. Williams pulled off his helmet, grimaced, and grabbed at his right hamstring.
Chicago’s training staff came out to help, and it was clear he couldn’t put any pressure on that leg. Tyson Bagent took over as Williams hobbled off the field.
Not long after, the Bears confirmed Williams had suffered a hamstring injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Broadcast cameras then caught Williams riding back to the locker room on a cart with a towel over his head. Even in that moment, Bears fans let him know they were behind him, giving him a standing ovation. Williams answered with a thumbs up.
Up to that point, Chicago’s offense had been stuck in the mud against Brian Flores’ defense. The Bears had managed only three points while Williams was in the game. And after he left, they still couldn’t pull even, with a blocked field goal keeping them behind.
Ben Johnson is expected to offer more on Williams after the game, but the bigger picture is already obvious: Chicago cannot afford to be without him for long.
If the injury is serious enough to land Williams on injured reserve, it would hit the Bears’ offense hard. He came into Week 2 fresh off a huge opening performance against the Carolina Panthers, when he threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in Chicago’s 59-point outburst.
Even with the rough night against Minnesota, Williams is still the player everything in this offense runs through. Losing him for any stretch would be a major blow.
In Other News...
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Van Noy logged 25 defensive snaps in the previous game and is expected to remain part of the rotation off the edge, which gives the Vikings a useful layer of depth as they sort through their front seven. The same elevation also brought rookie receiver Dillon Bell onto the game-day roster, but Van Noys repeated call-ups are the part that could eventually force a bigger decision about how the Vikings want to handle his role moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings QB Debate Suddenly Has A Very Short Window
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OConnell also made it clear the job is not up for grabs while Murray is on the mend. Once he is medically cleared, Murray is slated to reclaim the starting role, which makes this more of a temporary holdover than a true quarterback battle. For Minnesota, the intrigue now is less about who will start long term and more about how Wentz handles a brief turn under center before the expected handoff back. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Exit Suddenly Looms Over Vikings Bears Rivalry
Caleb Williams exit in the fourth quarter of Sundays Bears-Vikings game put a sudden jolt into a rivalry that already had plenty riding on it. On a non-contact play, the Bears quarterback went down with a hamstring injury, then had to be carried off before being carted to the locker room, turning what had been a tense divisional matchup into one with a much bigger concern hanging over Chicago.
For the Vikings, the bigger picture is less about one play than what it might mean for a division opponent already dealing with uncertainty at quarterback. Medical experts who looked at the injury believe it is a hamstring strain, the kind that can force a player to miss time, and the timing could matter well beyond one afternoon in Week 2. [Read more 🡒]