Caleb Williams did get the win in his NFL debut, the first rookie quarterback to start a game in Week 1 and earn the victory since David Carr in 2002. While Williams ended a non-winning streak of 15 games for rookie quarterbacks making their debut in Week 1, the boxscore didn't showcase the No. 1 overall pick in his best light.
Williams finished 14 of 29 for 93 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions for a 55.7 passer rating in the Chicago Bears' 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans. He averaged just 3.2 yards per attempt and had a longest pass of 13 yards.
There was some dubious history made in Williams' first start, as he is the only rookie quarterback to throw 25+ pass attempts and record under 100 passing yards in his first start and win the game. Of the seven other rookie quarterbacks that have reached those numbers in their first start, all of them lost the game.
Here are all the rookie quarterbacks to throw for less than 100 yards with 25+ pass attempts in their first start:
| Player | Completions | Attempts | Yards | TD | INT | Rating | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Caleb Williams (2024, Bears) | 14 | 29 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 55.7 | Win |
Tommy DeVito (2023, Giants) | 14 | 27 | 86 | 2 | 1 | 67.8 | Loss |
Desmond Ridder (2022, Falcons) | 13 | 26 | 97 | 0 | 0 | 59.3 | Loss |
Jonathan Quinn (1998, Jaguars) | 12 | 27 | 88 | 1 | 2 | 34.2 | Loss |
Heath Shuler (1994, Washington) | 11 | 30 | 96 | 1 | 1 | 43.2 | Loss |
Randy Hedberg (1977, Buccaneers) | 10 | 25 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 47.9 | Loss |
Will Cureton (1975, Browns) | 10 | 32 | 95 | 1 | 1 | 38.0 | Loss |
Don Mederith (1960, Cowboys) | 9 | 28 | 75 | 0 | 3 | 1.8 | Loss |
Williams may have been on the wrong side of history for his first start when looking at the statistics, but he'll take the win regardless. He is the first Bears rookie quarterback to win the season opener since 1950.
"Yeah, I don't care about stats. I feel great," Williams said, via NFL.com. "To be honest with you, I feel great.
"We want to be the most efficient team out there, myself included. Didn't perform the way I wanted to. I missed a few passes that I normally don't miss. All these other things."