Bears QB Caleb Williams vows to build on momentum during bye week

At some point during the first month of the season, quarterback Caleb Williams and coach Ben Johnson have noticed something about the Bears’ offense — it was a lot easier to sustain momentum than to spark it.

“Once we get our first, first down,” Williams said, “then we start rolling.”

That’s true for the quarterback, who gains confidence, and for the coach, who fine-tunes a play-calling rhythm each time they move the change.

It applies to the season, too — two weeks ago, the Bears were winless. Now they’re 2-2 entering the bye.

“The first four games builds confidence, and I understand the first two were losses …” Williams said after practice Tuesday. “I think it builds a lot of momentum and confidence. … We’ve got to go look at everything and be truthful for ourselves. The coaches are going to do the same for us. We have one-on-one meetings. Find ways to get better for the team.”

The Bears offense has plenty to fix, from a run game whose 3.8 yards per carry ranks eighth-worst in the NFL to an offensive line that has already played two left tackles and three right tackles. Right tackle Darnell Wright didn’t practice Tuesday while he recovers from an elbow injury, while right guard Jonah Jackson wasn’t spotted because of an unknown injury. Linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring), cornerback Kyler Gordon (hamstring) and tight end Colston Loveland (hip) were present. Because of the bye, the Bears don’t have to submit an injury report until Oct. 9, four days before they play the Commanders.

“Just because it’s a bye week,” Williams said, “doesn’t mean it’s an off week.”

Williams said he might take one day to rest during the bye. By rule, players must be off Thursday-Sunday. Bears coaches, though, will spend the open week evaluating the first four games of the season and where they go from here.

The Bears’ offense was a mess Sunday until it mattered most. Then Williams marched the Bears to a touchdown to take the lead with 1:34 to play.

“Some really good stuff for us to learn from,” Johnson said. “Sometimes wins like that go a long way for your team and what we are trying to build here.”

There’s a lot that’s gone right the last two weeks, too. Williams is tied for third with eight touchdown passes this season and ranks 14th with a 97.8 passer rating. Of the 26 quarterbacks who have thrown 100 passes, only eight have been sacked fewer than Williams’ seven.

The Bears aren’t where they want to be. But Williams can see it from here.

“You’ve got so many games and so many things can go good and so many things can go bad, so you’re always wanting to be at an even state,” he said. “But you do recognize where you are and where you’re headed. You try to stay on that consistent path of growth and not ever ride the roller coaster. …

“Obviously, you want to be able … to feel the momentum of what’s going on, but not let those things get in the way of what you actually have done and what you actually have to do to keep going in the right direction.”

Williams has lived through a false positive before. On Oct. 13 last season, Williams threw four touchdown passes to beat the Jaguars by 19 in London to improve to 4-2. Williams had led the Bears to 95 points during their three-game win streak when they took their week off last year.

Then came the Fail Mary. And then nine more losses, each seemingly more excruciating than the next. The Bears wouldn’t win again for almost three months. They fired their offensive coordinator, then their head coach.

Momentum didn’t mean much after last year’s bye. The Bears hope that’s one of the many differences between last season and this year.

Johnson came to Halas Hall vowing to make Williams feel uncomfortable — he would have to adjust to being under center and fine-tuning his footwork and learning the coach’s plays. Williams is proud of the way his footwork has improved — but even more content with the way he’s settled into his coach’s system.

“Just being more comfortable with everything that Ben and the guys have thrown at me, just being able to grasp it all — but also be able to go out there and play a game and play it well for the team,” he said. “That’s most important, I think — those two things.”