DETROIT — Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is all over the place, and they can’t move forward until he starts taking steady, defined steps in that direction. They’re still riding the ups and downs they went through in his rookie season.
In a familiar scene Sunday against the Lions, Williams made maddening mistakes and came up with too few splashy plays to make up for them as the Bears got rocked 52-21 in coach Ben Johnson’s return to Ford Field. His fourth-down failures, an inexplicable interception and various misfires left them with no chance.
It was bleak enough for Johnson to bail on Williams midway through the fourth quarter and send in backup quarterback Tyson Bagent for the remainder. Williams wandered the sideline holding his helmet in his hand.
It’s going to be hard for the Bears to win unless Williams plays reliably, and his inconsistency presents a significant challenge for Johnson as the offensive play caller.
Johnson jumped from his job as Lions offensive coordinator in large part because he believed in Williams and thought the Bears were poised to compete now and long term, and the first two games of the season surely have sparked some questions about what he saw. It’s far too early to make definitive declarations, but Williams should be better than this even amid the acclimation to Johnson’s offense.
He completed 19 of 30 passes for 207 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for a 91.9 passer rating in a performance only marginally better than what got Justin Fields traded to clear the way for the Bears to draft him. He was spared a second interception on a wild heave in the fourth quarter when Lions safety Brian Branch got flagged for roughing the passer.
The offense scored on just 3 of 10 possessions with Williams in the game, and he had just 136 yards passing when the Lions pulled ahead 38-14 in the third quarter.
That can’t be what Johnson expected, even this early.
Williams tailed off shortly after an impressive, clockwork touchdown drive in a rerun of the opener against the Vikings. He had the Bears moving well late in the first quarter until running back D’Andre Swift fumbled the ball away at the Lions’ 32-yard line, and everything unraveled from there.
Johnson sent Williams on back-to-back quarterback sneaks on third and fourth down from his own 37-yard line, and he got neither. He and Williams had an extended conversation after the fourth-down play.
Williams’ ugliest play was an inexcusable interception in the second quarter. On second-and-32 from his own 37-yard line, the pressure flushed him out to the right. With no one open, he chucked the ball down the sideline in an apparent attempt to throw it away, but he sailed it to safety Kerby Joseph.
The Lions made him pay for that by burning the Bears for a 67-yard touchdown drive to go ahead 21-7. They led by two touchdowns or more the rest of the game.
As far as injuries, the Bears had cornerback Jaylon Johnson (abdomen and groin), linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring) and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (knee) available, but ruled out nickel corner Kyler Gordon (hamstring) for the second game in a row. Johnson later exited in the second quarter with a groin injury after breaking up a key pass on third down.
These were the Bears’ inactives:
QB Case Keenum
OT Ozzy Trapilo
OL Kiran Amegadjie
WR Jahdae Walker (ankle)
DL Shemar Turner
CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring)
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