Caleb may be making Chicago his kind of town

Williams' three-game spree is renewing hope among Bears' fans.

You might wonder why the City Of The Big Shoulders never seems to have an arm that can throw a football. It explains why Caleb Williams, the obvious candidate to become the first-overall draft pick from the moment the Chicago Bears acquired it, seemed fated to disappoint those who’d already Jordanized him.

Is he too loose? Too much of a runner, in a league that has a place for runners, called Injured Reserve? Was he too pouty when things went haywire at USC? And didn’t Washington win the draft when it took Jayden Daniels with Pick No. 2?

Those without emotion in the game saw Williams for what he has always been, an uncommon craftsman with the ball. And if you wondered why Williams’ junior year with the Trojans was so sketchy, look at Miller Moss, taking the same weekly beating that Williams did in 2023.

But, no, the first two games were not good. Williams was 37 for 66 with no touchdown passes, 267 yards and two interceptions. The Bears had three explosive plays in the two games and scored one offensive touchdown. They were fortunate to be 1-1. The next week they were in Indianapolis, and they asked Williams to throw 52 passes. He threw two touchdowns and two interceptions, and the Bears lost again.

Are three weeks long enough to pigeonhole a savior? If so, the past three weeks should reinstate one. The Bears have beaten the Rams and Carolina at home, and on Sunday they went to London and trashed Jacksonville, 35-16. Yes, those are three of the wettest noodles in the NFC right now, but Williams is seeing the field, spreading the goodies, hanging in the pocket, and, more important, enjoying himself. The Bears are 4-2, and now they get a bye. They don’t tip a big toe into the quicksand of the NFC North until Nov. 17 and the arrival of the Packers, the team that always showed Chicago what a quarterback looked like.

Williams hit 23 of 29 passes for four touchdowns and one interception. He has completed 74 percent of his passes in this streak, and the Bears have accommodated him by calling DeAndre Swift’s number. Swift has averaged nearly 86 yards rushing in this streak, which knocks back the pass rush. On Sunday Williams threw five passes apiece to Keenan Allen and tight end Cole Kmet and completed them all, and each guy scored two touchdowns. The runners and the catchers are there for Williams, and so are the defenders. Protection is the key, but it’s hard for even the best pass rushers when they’re starting on their heels.

Williams’ pressures are citywide, not just confined to Halas Hall. If Chicago were in Europe the whole city would be relegated. The White Sox just finished setting a major league record for losses, the Cubs couldn’t compete in the N.L. Central, the Blackhawks are trying to sell tickets on the promise of Connor Bedard, and the Bulls are embarking on perhaps a decade of hibernation. If Chicago is going to see a live playoff game anytime soon, Williams will have to activate the stream.

The Bears could finish last in the NFC North, which has a composite record of 17-5. The Bears could also make the playoffs. Both statements could be true at once. The franchise is threatening to build a stadium in Arlington Heights  if the city and state don’t help them put up a $4 billion dome near the current Soldier Field site, even though the current stadium was renovated just 22 years ago. Will that be the House That Caleb Built? For those who have been waiting decades for an arm to match those shoulders, let’s maybe give it three more weeks.

Other NFL confetti:

Detroit 47, Dallas 9

— A 38-point win in the lair of America’s Team should have felt better than it did for the Lions. Instead they grieved over pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who was taken off on a gurney after he snapped his tibia while he and Alim McNeill were sacking Dak Prescott. It was such an emergency that Hutchinson had surgery in Dallas and didn’t come home with the team. He had seven-and-a-half sacks in the five games he played.

— Otherwise it was a 3-hour party for the Lions (4-1), who held Dallas without a first down in the second quarter and took a 7-3 lead to 27-6. The Lions stayed on the gas until the middle of the fourth quarter. Jared Goff became the second NFL QB to post a passer rating of 150 or more in two consecutive games (Drew Brees the other), and Brian Branch had two picks and recovered a fumble. The Lions hit Prescott 11 times.

– The Cowboys (3-3) were depleted defensively and didn’t have Micah Parsons, and the Lions rushed for 184 yards. As Jerry Jones watched from his box on his 82nd birthday, this one had a four-alarm-fire quality to it. In their past four home games the Cowboys are 0-4, and have given up an average of 41.7 points and 449 yards. Three of those have come with Mike Zimmer as the new defensive coordinator. Dallas is off this week, traditionally a convenient time to change coaches, but Jones said Mike McCarthy is in no immediate danger.

Baltimore 30, Washington 23

— The Beltway Bowl featured quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels, the Washington rookie who doesn’t like being compared to Baltimore’s 2-time MVP. But Daniels might want to borrow some of Jackson’s accessories, like the Ravens’ defense and Derrick Henry. The Ravens (4–2) had touchdown drives of 93 and 94 yards on a still-uncertain Washington defense, and piled up 484 yards. In doing so, they deprived Daniels of the football, giving him only 23:52 of possession time and 56 snaps.

— Still, Washington scrapped its way to within 30-23 with 2:48 left in the fourth quarter. That’s when Baltimore tied the ball to Henry’s hands and held on for dear life. Henry ran four times for 38 yards and the Commanders (4-2) exhausted their time outs. Then Jackson gained two yards on third-and-one to wrap it up. Henry gained 132 yards on 24 carries and scored twice. He has at least one touchdown in all six games and has 20 games of two touchdowns and at least 100 yards. Only Jim Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson and Emmitt Smith have more.

— Jackson also rediscovered Mark Jackson in the passing game and completed all nine passes he threw to Zay Flowers, who gained 132 yards. Washington was missing its top runner, Brian Robinson, and did not have a running play of more than nine yards.

Tampa Bay 51, New Orleans 27

— New Orleans won its first two games with epicurean offense, but now its opponents are feasting. Tampa Bay had 10 plays of 20 yards or more in this one. The Saints led 27-24 at halftime and gave up the next 27 points. But then they’ve given up 103 points in their last three games, all losses, and are now 2-4.

— One of the Saints’ three touchdowns was a punt return by Rashid Shaheed, and another came on a 10-yard drive after Jonathan Abram’s interception.. Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield threw two other interceptions, but he was 24 for 36 for 325 yards. The Bucs (4-2) rambled for 277 rushing yards and put up 594 total yards, a team record and the second-most ever against the Saints. Mayfield aimed 13 passes at Chris Godwin and completed 11 for 125 yards.

—  With Derek Carr hurt, rookie Spencer Rattler took over the Saints and hit 22 of 40 passes, but was sacked five times. 

Atlanta 38, Carolina 20

— When Kirk Cousins found Drake London for a 3-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, the Falcons led 22-10. It was the first time all season that they’d been more than one score away from their opponent. It didn’t last long, since Andy Dalton hit Xavier Legette with a 7-yard score right before halftime. The Falcons (4-2) weren’t comfortable until A.J. Terrell picked off Dalton early in the fourth quarter. They went on an 84-yard drive and got a 2-yard score from Tyler Allgeier that made it 35-20.

— Allgeier and Bijan Robinson led a run game that gained 198 yards. Cousins, who had thrown for 509 yards in Atlanta’s win over Tampa Bay, went 19 for 30 and got London fully involved, with six catches and 74 yards. The Falcons remain tied with Tampa Bay on top of the NFC South.

— Carolina (1-5) had no sacks or tackles for loss. Its best weapon was Chuba Hubbard, who gouged out 92 yards rushing on 18 carries. Since Dalton took over for Bryce Young four games ago, the Panthers have rushed for at least 100 yards in each game and have scored 90 points. In Young’s two starts they had one touchdown and 13 points.

San Francisco 36, Seattle 24

— It’s not easy to lose when you have two 76-yard plays. The 49ers (3-3) got one of those on a run from rookie Isaac Guerendo, just after a TD pass from Geno Smith to Tyler Lockett got Seattle to within 29-24 with 1:45 left. Kyle Juszczyk capitalized on Guerendo’s run for the final TD that set up the 49ers for Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch with Kansas City, in Santa Clara.

— Smith’s three interceptions were the main problem for Seattle, which was 3-0 and is now 3-3. A 16-0 deficit removed the threat of the Seahawks’ running game, but they got life from Laviska Shenault’s 97-yard kickoff return, followed by a 94-yard scoring drive. Shenault also fumbled a kickoff that led to a 49ers’ field goal. A bothersome stat for the Seahawks: Smith threw 11 times to DK Metcalf, completing only three.

— Brock Purdy was outstanding, with two TD passes to George Kittle and a 129.3 passer rating. A 228-yard ground game helped, too, along with a 76-yard TD pass play to Deebo Samuel. The 49ers drew confidence from an early 90-yard drive that ended in a field goal but set the theme. For the season they are plus-15 in explosive plays (20 or more yards).

L.A. Chargers 23, Denver 16

— Jim Harbaugh left the game in the first quarter with a flareup of arrhythmia but returned quickly. Patrick Surtain, the Broncos’ cornerback, wasn’t as fortunate, suffering a concussion on the Chargers’ first pass. The Chargers (3-2) managed to warm Harbaugh’s heart by running 75 plays to Denver’s 53 and converting 11 of 18 third downs. In two of their three wins they’ve had the ball for 36 minutes or more.

— The Chargers led 23-0 after three quarters before Denver rookie QB Bo Nix tried to fashion a comeback. The Broncos drove 95 yards for their first TD, and Nix hit Courtland Sutton with a  15-yarder to cut it to 23-13 with 5:27 left. Then Nix took Denver from its own four yard line, and his 21-yard scramble set up Will Lutz for a 40-yard field goal with 1:03 left. But the Broncos couldn’t corral the onside kick.

— The Chargers got a lift when Rashawn Slater and rookie Joe Alt, the starting tackles, returned to the lineup. Justin Herbert was still sacked three times by Denver’s underrated defense, but he hit 21 of 34 passes for 237 yards and threw a TD to rookie Kimani Vidal, a sixth-round rookie from Troy and a grand-nephew of Hank Aaron. Denver lost a 3-game win streak.

Pittsburgh 32, Las Vegas 13

— Bradley Cooper’s next bro movie from Las Vegas, if it has anything to do with the Raiders, will be “The Turnover.” For the third time this year the Raiders coughed it up three times and never took the ball away and are minus-10 overall. Ameer Abdullah fumbled on Pittsburgh’s one-yard-line, Donte Jackson intercepted Aidan O’Connell to create a 7-yard touchdown drive, Dylan Laube lost a fumble on the Raiders’ 30 that led to another TD, and Jeremiah Moon’s blocked punt led to a Steeler field goal. In addition, Divine Deablo saw his interception of Steeler QB Justin Fields nullified because Raider teammate Matthew Butler was called for roughing Fields.

— T.J. Watt caused both fumbles for the Steelers (4–2), who allowed the Raiders only one explosive play. Patrick Queen, the ex-Raven, combined for 13 tackles. With all those short fields, the Steelers didn’t need Fields to be great, and Najee Harris carried the load with a 36-yard TD run, and 14 carries for 106 yards.

– O’Connell replaced Gardner Minshaw for the Raiders (2-4) and hit 27 of 40 passes. His main target was rookie tight end Brock Bowers. The most celebrated Raider receiver, Davante Adams, sat out with an injury and still wants to be traded.

Houston 41, New England 21

— The Texans (5-1) are almost unfair when Joe Mixon is healthy and running. He returned to the lineup Sunday for the first time since Game 2 and chugged for 102 yards on 13 carries. Add C.J. Stroud’s usual stuff (20-for-31, three touchdowns) and Houston was able to score five touchdowns, the last one a 54-yard run by Bernard Pierce. The Texans have run for 402 yards in Mixon’s two healthy games.

— The Patriots took Drake Maye No. 3 in the draft and, knowing they have little help for him on offense, resisted playing him as long as they could. He got the call Sunday and was sacked four times, lost two fumbles on those sacks that gave the Texans 10 points,  was intercepted twice and was hit eight times. With all that, Maye solidified his hold on the job with three touchdown passes and led the Patriots (1-5) in rushing.

— Will Anderson, taken right behind Stroud near the top of the 2023 draft, had three sacks and another tackle for loss. It also helps that Houston is 12-for-16 in getting touchdowns in the red zone.

Philadelphia 20, Cleveland 16

— They were like a boxer who suddenly regained his left hook and overhand right. Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown returned to the Eagles’ lineup for the first time since the opener, which the Eagles (3-2) won over Green Bay. Each of them took a touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts, and Brown had six catches for 116 yards.

— So why were Eagles’ fans so crabby and why was coach Nick Sirianni yelling at them at game’s end? Primarily because the Eagles had a tough time putting away a 1-5 team that didn’t get an offensive touchdown. They sacked DeShaun Watson five times and denied Cleveland on nine of 12 third downs, but it was 13-13 until Hurts threw a 45-yard TD to Smith with 8:03 left. Cleveland’s penalties stopped its next drive and made the Browns settle for a field goal, and then Hurts hit Brown for 40 yards on third-and-11 to run out the clock.

— The Browns (1-5) still haven’t scored more than 18 points in a game and have had five explosive plays in their past three games. It’s probably too late, but Nick Chubb is on the verge of returning to provide at least a little running.

Green Bay 34, Arizona 13

– Keisan Nixon returned a punt 39 yards and Jordan Love immediately tossed a 44-yard TD to Christian Watson. That put Green Bay (4-2) ahead by 24-0 in the second quarter and effectively ended a game that never really started for the Cardinals, who couldn’t find Marvin Harrison on two pass attempts before he was hurt, and rushed for only 89 yards.

— Xavier McKinney lost his interception streak after five games, but the Packers recovered three fumbles, contained Kyler Murray, and got 11 tackles from Quay Walker. The Packers are plus-9 in turnovers and have 17 takeaways in six games.

– Romeo Doubs came back from a 1-game suspension and caught two of Love’s four touchdown passes, and Love has thrown at least two TDs in eight consecutive games. There’s a lot of noise in Lambeau Field these days, but “We Want Aaron” chants are yet to be heard.

Indianapolis 20, Tennessee 17

— Joe Flacco is 39 years old, so let him take his time. He and the Colts chewed up 7:33 in the fourth quarter on the way to the winning touchdown, ,which came on Flacco’s 10-yard pass to Michael Pittman. The pass was at the expense of Tennessee’s L’Jarius Sneed, who had committed a 33-yard pass interference call earlier on the drive.

— Will Levis threw his seventh interception in five games with 4:59 to go, this time to Julian Blackmon. The Titans (1–4) had one more possession and couldn’t get past their own 25. The loss obscured a 93-yard rush performance by ex-Cowboy Tony Pollard, who scored one of two Titan touchdowns. Calvin Ridley was targeted eight times but had no catches.

— Amani Hooker had Tennessee’s first interception of the season. Flaccco was 22-for-38 for 1890 yards, and his three 22-yard completions were his longest of the day. Latifu Latu, Indy’s first-round pick from UCLA, didn’t sack Levis but did hit him twice.

Cincinnati 17, N.Y. Giants 7

— Sometimes Joe Burrow has to remind the intelligentsia that he’s still around, still a charter member of the Young Men of Quarterbacking Genius club. He did it with legs and arm on Sunday night, running for a 47-yard touchdown and then hit 19 of 28 passes. But at one point the Bengals punted on five consecutive possessions.

— Cincinnati (2-4) rediscovered its defense against a Giants team that didn’t have Malik Nabers or Devin Singletary. New York (2-4) did not have a play that exceeded 15 yards, and the Bengals bottled up Daniel Jones (22 for 41, 205 yards). Jones had the Giants on Cincinnati’s 14 in the first quarter, but Germaine Pratt intercepted him on the next play.

— The Giants were only down 10-7 when the Bengals got the ball on their own 36 with three minutes left. Instead of going to Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins, Burrow handed off to Chase Brown on four of five plays and passed to Andrei Iosivas on the other. That pass went 29 yards, and then Brown ran for seven before he reeled off a 30-yard touchdown. On defense, Logan Wilson had nine tackles and Trey Hendrickson two sacks. It’s the same defense that gave up 103 points the past three weeks.

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