Issues with the Lions’ defense can set up the perfect storm for Bears QB Caleb Williams to have a record-breaking day in Week 18
The Chicago Bears QB will be gunning for the single-season franchise record on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears have little to play for on Sunday going up against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. The No. 2 seed is still up for grabs in the NFC, and an enticing position for Chicago, but even if it wasn’t, you can believe head coach Ben Johnson would still play his starters in Week 18.
The Bears are fully determined to go out there and not only win, but win big, against a Lions team that won by 31-points the last time these two teams faced off in Week 2.
There’s also some individual goals at stake in this game and the biggest one involves quarterback Caleb Williams, who’s closing in on a franchise single-season record with one game left to play.
Caleb Williams closing in on Bears single-season passing record, with sights set on 4,000 yards
Everyone knows by now that the Bears are the only franchise in the NFL without a 4,000-yard passer in a single season. The team’s single-season record of with 3,838 passing yards was set by Erik Kramer in 1995 and no one has managed to surpass that number since 1995.
Last season, Williams came close in his first year with the Bears throwing for 3,541 yards, the sixth-highest single-season total in team history. In year two, and the first season under Johnson’s offensive scheme, Williams has 3,370 yards entering Sunday’s game and is 109 yards from the record, and 270 yards from reaching the 4,000-yard mark.
Going into the season, Williams reiterated how reaching that number will always be a goal until he finally accomplishes the feat for the organization that drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2024.
“Obviously I have self goals, and that’s being the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history,” Williams said. “That’s a goal of mine… That’s kinda my self goal and obviously, other than that, you gotta go win. That’s success for me, that’s success for the team.”
Williams will get one last shot to accomplish that feat in front of the home crowd on Sunday. While 270 is a high bar, it’s something Williams should be able to accomplish against a depleted Lions’ secondary.
Lions’ secondary issues bode well for Caleb Williams breaking the franchise record
“The Lions losing Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, and Terrion Arnold has been the source of the team’s issues on defense this season. Especially in the last few weeks. It’s allowed teams to go deep on them and rack up explosives.
The Lions need to make sure they can get pressure on Williams as much as possible on Sunday. The good thing is that they’re fifth in pressures and fourth in sacks. If they can’t get pressure, the Bears could finally get that 4,000-yard passer.” – A to Z Sports Detroit writer Mike Payton
In the Lions’ last game, Detroit allowed just 51 passing yards and recorded six sacks, but that was against Minnesota Vikings’ inexperienced rookie backup Max Brosmer. The three games before that against Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott, the Lions allowed 336.7 passing yards per game and had no answer for the deep ball.
Caleb Williams is starting to master the deep passing game under Ben Johnson
The Bears offense has been centered around the run game for the majority of the season but the plan all along was to have a strong run game and eventually be able to hit defenses over the top in the passing game to really have a dangerous unit.
It took a couple of weeks for Williams to dial in the deep ball, but the last few weeks Williams has been on the money. Since Week 15, Williams is 8/12 passing with 245 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions on throws of 20+ air yards. That includes the two early touchdown bombs he threw against the San Francisco 49ers last week.
“He did a real nice job,” Johnson said of Williams during his interview with Jeff Joniak on ESPN Chicago. “I do think it’s a reflection of his practices that really come to fruition for us on game day. He’s doing a lot better job on defense connecting on those deep balls. I know those guys spend a lot of time after practice when coaches aren’t even out there, just making sure they have the routes down. And I think that’s starting to show up, which is great to see this time of year.”
There is truly a perfect storm brewing going into this game. If Williams can connect on those deep balls and take the top off the defense on Sunday, he can easily reach 4,000 yards for the first time in franchise history and end the regular season on a high note before turning the page to the playoffs.
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