Bears quarterback Caleb Williams avoided a major injury, but his hamstring is likely going to need some time to heal.
In a radio interview with ESPN 1000 Chicago on Monday, head coach Ben Johnson noted that Williams is likely to be sidelined for a bit.
“It sounds like it’s going to be a week-to-week deal for him,” Johnson said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “I’ve got to still talk with our trainer. We’ll do that here shortly and I’ll have the lowdown from him. But it sounds like it’s week-to-week, but will likely miss some time.”
Johnson added that the Bears “potentially” dodged a bullet with Williams’ injury not being more severe.
“You know, we’ll see,” Johnson said. “He’s tough and he comes back from these types of things, I think, better than the average human being. So, we’ll see.”
Williams was 15-of-26 for 138 yards with an interception before departing Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. He also rushed 42 yards on five carries.
Tyson Bagent is Chicago’s backup quarterback.
The Bears will play the Eagles on Monday night in Week 3.
There’s more positive news on the injury front for Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
According to Tom Pelissero of Netflix, Williams did not suffer a major injury to his hamstring during Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.
Furthermore, the team is not ruling him out for the Week 3 matchup against the Eagles next Monday night.
Williams suffered his hamstring injury as he was trying to run toward the end zone deep in opponent territory on Sunday afternoon. With rainy conditions throughout the afternoon, the grass at Soldier Field was wet.
Williams was helped off the field and then carted to the locker room, but head coach Ben Johnson said he was in “good spirits” after the game. Johnson also noted his relief that Williams hadn’t suffered a knee injury.
PFT reported on Sunday that the initial belief was that Williams suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain.
The quarterback completed 15-of-26 passes for 138 yards with an interception before departing the contest. He also rushed 42 yards on five carries.
In two games so far this season, Williams has completed 65.5 percent of his throws for 407 yards with two touchdowns and one pick. He’s rushed for 107 yards with two TDs.
Heading into the season, the Vikings were a distant fourth in the betting odds to win the NFC North. A lot can change in two weeks.
The Vikings are now 2-0, with both wins coming against division opponents, a game ahead of the Lions, Packers and Bears, and the new betting favorites to win the division.
The Vikings’ odds are +194 to win what looks to be the NFL’s most competitive division. The Lions are next at +205, followed by the Packers at +285. Last year’s NFC North winners, the Bears, not have the longest odds, at +500, amid concerns that Caleb Williams could miss extended time with a hamstring injury.
Uncertainty at quarterback in Minnesota is an issue, but the Vikings have found a way to win two weeks in a row with Carson Wentz replacing the injured Kyler Murray. The Vikings’ defense looks ferocious, and the Vikings look like a playoff team. Something few thought they’d be just a couple weeks ago.
The second Sunday of the 2026 regular season gave new meaning to the second-game experience.
As noted by Megan Armstrong of Awful Announcing, multiple viewers of the Packers-Jets and Falcons-Panthers games on Fox complained that the sound was replaced with audio from Bears-Vikings.
Armstrong’s story includes multiple tweets, including visual/audio evidence.
A PFT reader emailed the same concern.
“My husband and I were watching the Packers/Jets game on FOX today,” the reader said. “Twice, we lost the audio for our game and were listening to the Vikings/Bears game. The first time only lasted about a minute but the second time was at least 5-6 minutes. So we’re watching the Pack and listening to the Vikes.”
In nearly 25 years of doing this, audio from one game making its way into another game is a first. And hopefully it’s the last time something like that will happen.
After Week 1, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had his MVP odds move from +600 to +500. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams made an even bigger climb, from +1200 to +600.
As of Sunday night, Allen’s odds have improved even more. And Williams, for now, is off the board.
Allen is currently the +275 favorite. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is at +800. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are tied at +850.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is next, at +1400.
Once more is known about Williams’s hamstring injury, he’ll likely return. Missing significant time would likely take him out of the mix for the top individual award in the game. In a 16-game season, the most games missed by the eventual MVP was three (Joe Montana, in 1989). In a 14-game season, the most games missed by the MVP was two (Larry Brown in 1972, and Paul Hornung in 1961).
