Minnesota has tough challenge in Caleb Williams, and one key development in his game plays into Vikings’ biggest Achilles heel
This is not a great matchup for Brian Flores’ defense.
Sunday afternoon’s game for the Minnesota Vikings is likely going to come down to one thing: stopping Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has done a good job corralling Williams in the first three matchups, especially last year at U.S. Bank Stadium. While Williams has had his own struggles over the course of his first 26 starts, it’s evident that he’s gotten better thanks to the development of head coach Ben Johnson.
Caleb Williams’ development is going well
Being that Williams has had eight games to develop since the Vikings saw him last, what can we expect on Sunday afternoon? I spoke to Bears beat writer Kole Noble about it.
“It’s hard to put a bar on Caleb Williams’ development because each week and matchup is an individual story, but hearing Ben Johnson continue to rave about the improvements from his quarterback and the progress he’s making running the offense is all you need to truly listen to.
“Since Week 1’s loss, Williams had his best individual performance of his NFL career (Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys) and the biggest win of his NFL career (leading the two-possession comeback in Week 10) based on all the games I’ve watched the last two seasons.
“Structurally, he’s handling the offense very well and improving when it comes to working through his progressions. Backed by a strong run game, Williams has been consistently hitting on more explosives in the passing game. The real difference-maker has been his escape-ability in the pocket and then using his legs to hurt defenses, while being smart about when to put on the Superman cape and when to keep his eyes downfield. That mindset has been the biggest development he’s shown over the course of nine games.”
The escape-ability in the pocket is a big deal for Williams, but that talking point has been overblown. He’s playing that card less than he used to, which is such a positive with his development.
The other main aspect of his play has been sack evasion. Williams has grown significantly in that area, improving from a 28.2% pressure-to-sack rate in his rookie season down to 12.1% this season. It especially plays into one of the Vikings’ biggest failures so far this season, which has been wrapping up the quarterback and finishing the deal.
This could end up being the one key thing to decide this game, and it’s a big deal.
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