It’s Commanders Week for the Chicago Bears, so we’ll see an insufferable amount of Fail Mary clips on Monday night.
But as quarterback Caleb Williams said on Wednesday: “This is a different team than last year.”
This team is led by Ben Johnson, a fiery and intense first-year head coach who has worked tirelessly to instill a culture of toughness and accountability since arriving. It is a team led by a much-improved version of the quarterback under center in Washington last season, who downplayed the “revenge game” aspect of Chicago’s Week 6 matchup during his weekly media availability.
“Obviously, you don’t want to lose, especially in that fashion of a Hail Mary. I’m not going to speak for everybody else. Does it bother me? Yeah. I want to go out there, and I want to win every single game that I have. I know that’s not going to happen. So, being able to orchestrate the game, orchestrate this week, have the guys focus on what we need to focus on. That’s where I’m at,” Williams said.”
“[I’m] not going down the rabbit hole of the ‘revenge’ title or anything like that. It’s being able to focus on us, this team’s different than last year. The coaching obviously is different. A bunch of things are different. So, being able to focus on us and be able to lead these guys the way that they need to be led and be able to go out there and focus on what we need to focus on to be able to go win the game at the end of the day.”
For what it’s worth, Williams and the Bears went into the bye week following a “grimy” win against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was the type of win that proves Chicago is a different team than the one we saw lose to the Commanders a year ago.
© Peter Casey-Imagn ImagesCaleb Williams Homecoming Part II: Preparing for Dan Quinn’s Defense
Last year’s matchup with the Commanders was supposed to be a homecoming for Caleb Williams, who is from the D.C. metro area. Jayden Daniels, the Washington quarterback whom the Bears passed on to select Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft, spoiled Williams’ homecoming with the infamous Fail Mary heave as time expired.
Williams was asked on Wednesday about the added feelings that came with that game and how it added to the sting of the loss:
“That was probably a little bit of it. Just because, when you go back home, I think any player, any coach, any competitor, when you go back home and you’re going to be in front of your people, to come out with a win always feels a little bit better when you can do it at home. Not being able to go back home as much as you may like or anything like that because of what the job requires.
“So, when you do get to go back home and play in front of a crowd and play in front of a crowd that many fans were, whether it was high school or little leagues or anything like that, have watched me growing up, you want to be able to win those games.”
Caleb Williams gets another bite at the apple on Monday, and by all indications, he will be ready for the challenge.
Like the Bears, the Commanders are a different team this season. Their pass rush has been among the best in the league, and their rushing attack has been equally — if not more — impressive on the offensive side of the ball.
There is no Maxx Crosby to prepare for this week, but Williams knows that preparing for a Dan Quinn defense presents a challenge in its own right:
“Playing against them last year and Dan Quinn, they do a good job over there. Their guys play sound football. They obviously have a vet right in the middle; they have a bunch of vets, but they’ve got a vet right in the middle of the defense with Bobby Wagner. “So, just being able to go out there and do our job, execute our plays, execute our techniques, is the challenge for us. Because that’s what those guys are going to do. They’re going to play hard-nosed football. They’re going to come out and they’re trying to make a bang on plays and come downhill and hit on run plays and, when the ball’s in air, they’re going to try and go and attack it. “So, it’s our job, for me, to be able to throw good passes, give our receivers the best chance. It’s our guys’ job to be able to have the right technique and go grab the ball or run and protect the football and lower pad level and all the different things that it takes to win games.” © Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesCaleb Williams was sacked three times for 26 yards the last time these two teams met in 2024. He has been sacked only seven times in four games this season. On Wednesday, the second-year quarterback was asked what contributed to his sack rate being significantly less than his rookie season:
“It starts with those guys up front. Those guys up front have been awesome since I’ve been here this year. So, I think being able to get in rhythm with those guys, not having many guys down in a sense, being able to get multiple reps. I think I’ve said it multiple times from last year to now, it’s being able to figure out where their weaknesses are, because every player has some weaknesses or anything like that.
“So being able to figure out where their weaknesses are and play off of that in the pocket, and being able to feel that and know where I need to set up or roll out or get out of the pocket at certain times. So, it’s being able to have those guys’ back when things don’t go right. But, these guys are beasts up front, so it’s been fun being with them and working with them and having these past four games with them.”
As Williams continues to get comfortable working behind his revamped offensive line, his pocket presence and rhythm will continue to improve. This week will need to be another step in the right direction, with the Commanders having one of the best pass rush units in the league this season.
You can watch the complete Caleb Williams press conference here:
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