No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams' first NFL start was fraught with lowlights that seemingly undermined his passing prowess we fell in love with during his time at USC. Williams was 14 of 29 passing for just 93 yards in Week 1, but fortunately, the Chicago Bears were able to overcome his paltry play to defeat the Tennessee Titans 17-24. With that performance, Williams joins Desmond Ridder as the only two quarterbacks in modern NFL history to throw for less than 100 yards on 25-plus pass attempts. He's the first rookie quarterback to throw for under 100 yards on 25-plus pass attempts and win their first start.
Williams looked relatively unsettled and was under duress for much of the contest, but there were times when he did get adequate protection and he was able to play on schedule. It was in those instances that his arm talent came shining through, but unfortunately those moments were far and few in between. A lot of teams are going to struggle against the Titans' formidable duo at defensive tackle. Jefferey Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat are going to collapse their fair share of pockets this season, but if the Bears don't develop a better gameplan to account for talented defensive tackles, this won't be the last time we'll see Williams essentially running for his life.
The Bears would be best served helping Williams get into a rhythm with the quick game. Allowing D'Andre Swift to win one-on-one against linebackers and safeties would be quick and easy wins for the offense. As Adam Aizer stated on this week's Fantasy Football podcast, Keenan Allen led all Bears receivers with 11 targets but only managed 29 yards on four receptions. D.J. Moore followed with eight targets and managed 36 yards on five receptions. Chicago's other 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze had four targets but hauled in one reception off of a deflection from a pass that was originally intended for Moore. The catch netted Odunze just nine yards and it would be his lone reception on the day.
Odunze's 25 air yards per target led the Bears' trio of receivers and I wouldn't be shocked to see that continue. Though he's more of a contested catch type of player, he'll be targeted down the field consistently due to his ability to play above the rim. Allen's air yards per target of 17.5 was somewhat baffling. Last season he amassed 1,243 yards on 108 receptions and his average yards per target was just 13.4. If Allen is to be more efficient moving forward, he'll likely be targeted more at the intermediate level just as he was during his time with the Chargers.
Moore's air yards per target of 11.8 is ideal but could shrink some as his target share should exceed Allen's moving forward. The Bears would be wise to make sure a playmaker such as Moore doesn't have to work too hard to get the ball in his hands, and to accomplish this feat, he should receive a steady diet of screens. Due to deficiencies along the offensive line, Williams likely won't have much time to allow routes to develop downfield on a consistent basis. Getting the ball to Moore on quick-hitting plays will take stress off of the offensive line and Williams until the unit improves upon its pass blocking. Moore has the lateral quickness to win early in his routes and he's best equipped to help Williams remain upright as a result of his skill set.
In his final season at USC, Williams was sacked 33 times and he began his NFL career with two more sacks in Week 1. If Matt Eberflus and company can make life easier on its offensive line and give Williams easy throws early on against the Texans next week, Williams could be in line for a much smoother outing in Week 2. So for Fantasy managers who bought stock in Caleb Williams, now is not the time to hit the panic button, there's still plenty of football to be played.
If you want to hear more Week 1 analysis from Adam Aizer, Heath Cummings, Jamey Eisenberg, and Dave Richard, be sure to give the Fantasy Football Today Week 1 recap a listen.
