Caleb

Williams

Despite some discomfort during his first season in coach Ben Johnson’s offense last year, Williams increased his yards per passing attempt from 6.3 in 2024 to 6.9 in 2025. He is expected to take another step this season. Part of Williams’ increased comfort comes from knowing exactly what’s expected of him in the Bears’ offense, and “what to expect when the team returns for training camp in six weeks.” Williams admits to feeling like he was “drowning” while trying to learn the playcalls and verbiage last summer. That’s all in the past now. Johnson’s run-heavy tactics may lead to a few subpar box scores for Williams, but he remains firmly in the QB1 tier and possesses high-end upside.

This was an emphasis of head coach Ben Johnson when he arrived in Chicago after the 2024 season. “Late in some of those games, we were making some heroic plays . . . but it wasn’t necessary if we execute in the first quarter and second quarter,” Barrett said in an interview with the Chicago Sun Times. “We might be up two touchdowns by the time we get to the fourth quarter. We can be efficient and take what the defense is giving. You don’t necessarily have to put the cape on and make those crazy plays because you already were killing them in the first three quarters.” Williams over his two pro seasons has been among the worst out-of-pocket passers. Last season his adjusted yards per attempt on throws outside the pocket (4.8) ranked 29th out of 35 qualifying QBs. His accuracy on such throws ranked 30th. Barrett and the Bears will continue encouraging Williams to take the easy throws in 2026.

As Schefter notes, this is the second time these two teams have faced each other on Thanksgiving in the past three years. The game will be played in Detroit as the first of the usual three-game setup on Thanksgiving. With both teams eying an NFC North title, this game will almost certainly have considerable playoff implications. It will also be another installment in Ben Johnson’s grudge match with his former team.

Chicago opponents last year had a combined winning percentage of 55 percent, edging out the Dolphins for the year’s most difficult schedule. This follows an excellent 2025 campaign in which head coach Ben Johnson led the Bears to an 11-6 record with the NFC’s seventh best point differential, just ahead of the Vikings. Things could be slightly more challenging for Caleb Williams and company, though an other year of development and experience in Johnson’s cutting-edge offensive system could counteract the team’s tough slate of games in 2026.

Loveland’s role in the Chicago passing attack grew steadily in the back half of his rookie season and peaked in the postseason, with Loveland shredding the Packers in the Wild Card Round for eight catches and 137 yards. “He’s going to be a weapon for a long time,” head coach Ben Johnson said. Loveland’s route tree expanded in the final couple months of the season, Wiederer said, as Bears coaches and Caleb Williams trusted him as the clear No. 1 pass catcher in the run-first Chicago offense. Loveland should be considered a candidate to lead all tight ends in fantasy scoring next season.

Williams and the Bears appeared to be setting the stage for yet another comeback in this one. Facing a fourth-and-four with under 30 seconds left on the game clock, Williams dropped back and found himself immediately under duress. After dropping back over 25 yards beyond the original line of scrimmage, and with three defenders in his face, Williams heaved a perfectly thrown ball off his back foot into the end zone for Cole Kmet, who secured the pass for a 14-yard touchdown to force overtime. An errant pass on what appeared to be a miscommunication between Williams and DJ Moore resulted in an interception that ended the Bears’ only overtime possession, as the Rams went on to capitalize on the turnover with a Harrison Mevis 42-yard field goal to end the game and the Bears’ season. Williams thrived in his first season under head coach Ben Johnson, turning in multiple highlight-reel throws will pulling off an NFL record seven comeback wins. His final regular season line of 3,942-27-7 set new career highs, and he added another 77-388-3 on the ground. With plenty of young weapons already locked in for next season, Williams should continue to improve in 2026 with another year of experience under his belt and more time to learn under Johnson.

What a comeback. The Bears trailed 21-3 at the end of the first half, but it was all Chicago in the second half, and Williams deserves much of the credit. The 2024 first-overal pick did throw a couple of costly picks — both on fourth down — but he made some outstanding throws to get the Bears back into the game, and he completed the comeback with a touchdown throw to DJ Moore from 25-yards out late in the fourth. Williams and the Bears will be playing at home next week, but their opponent — the Rams or the Eagles — won’t be determined until Sunday.

The Bears failed to score through three quarters after gaining only four first downs in the first half. They would eventually break through in the fourth quarter to avoid being shut out at Soldier Field for the first time since 1982, taking on an additional score and two-point conversion with just over five minutes remaining to draw the game to an unlikely tie. Jared Goff and the Lions did their jobs in the two-minute offense to steal the victory away from a Bears team that has experienced no shortage of late-game magic this season. The Bears maintained the No. 2 seed in the NFC following a loss by the Eagles, meaning they’ll host a familiar opponent in the Packers in the Wildcard Round next weekend. Williams will need to buck this recent trend of poor performance early in games if they want to avoid a one-and-done postseason.

This defense in this game went off the rails in a hurry, with each team reaching desperation mode from the first offensive play from scrimmage as they battled it out for the chance to claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC in Week 18. The Bears won the coin toss and deferred, returning a pick-six for a touchdown on the first play. The two teams would then trade blows throughout the first half, becoming the first two teams to each score three or more touchdowns in the first 18 minutes of an NFL game since at least 1970. Chicago gave up a touchdown with just under five minutes remaining to fall behind by four points, getting the football back with enough time to march the field and get into scoring position. The drive eventually culminated with the ball on the three and five seconds remaining, time for one final play in regulation. San Francisco’s defense held on as Williams’ pass fell short and incomplete as he drifted away from the rush, marking the end of one of the games of the season. Williams and the Bears remains the No. 2 seed in the NFC after beating the Eagles earlier this season, although they’ll need to beat the Lions in Week 18 to preserve that position.

Williams and the Bears managed just nine offensive points through the first 58 minutes of the game, but an onside kick recovery with less than two minutes to go kick-started one of the more memorable comebacks we will see this season. Williams came up clutch late in the game, completing 6-of-8 passes for 53 yards on the Bears’ final possession in regulation, and capping the drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to rookie UDFA Jahdae Walker. After the Packers’ turnover on downs on the first possession of overtime, Williams again came up clutch. On the fourth play of the Bears’ first overtime drive, Williams found DJ Moore in single coverage downfield, and hit him with a beautifully thrown 46-yard strike to end the game and propel the Bears to a comfortable two-game lead in the NFC North. Williams struggled for much of this game, but the late-heroics were a prime example of what made him the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft. With his Bears now sitting at 11-4, Williams will look to push his team to a 12th win next week against the 49ers. He’ll be a mid-QB2 in the fantasy championships next week.