Caleb Williams is struggling at the Chicago Bears during his rookie season in the 2024 NFL season. This has led NFL analyst Kyle Brandt to give a brutal assessment of the Bears QB and his team. Chicago faced a dreadful 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots. The Bears only managed 11 first downs and a pitiful 2.4 yards per play.
Williams is the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL and a former Heisman winner with the USC Trojans in 2022. However, his transition into the NFL has been pretty rough so far. While his potential is clear, it’s getting buried under a mountain of missteps.
Kyle Brandt Gives Messy Caleb Williams Assessment
The 22-year-old rookie saw himself sacked nine times by the Patriots on Saturday. The shock was visible on Williams’ face when an opponent helped him off the ground.
The lack of support for the Bears QB was also evident during the game. Brandt laid into Chicago’s performance, saying on Good Morning Football. “There are bad teams. There’s a lot of them. It’s not that the Bears look bad. They look broken. It’s not like, ‘Oh, that wasn’t their day yesterday or tough breaks.’ It was a total start to finish malfunction,” Brandt stated.
He ripped into the franchise’s lackluster energy and poor execution. “The energy is flat. The effort is flat. The body language, it’s almost offensive. Caleb is a mess. He’s a mess. Nobody’s open, and if they are, he misses them,” Brandt went on. “It’s not just a loss; it’s like they have no shot. It feels like they’re not being properly run, packaged, or produced.”
The Bears
Denial.
Anger.
And now – acceptance. pic.twitter.com/ZhglRvFOkv— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) November 11, 2024
The stats tell a grim story. The Bears, now at 4-5, are on a three-game losing streak. The schemes of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron have failed totally, as the Bears have not scored a touchdown on 23 straight possessions.
The former Trojans quarterback has mediocre stats this season — he has completed 60.5% of his passes for 1,785 yards, with nine touchdowns against five interceptions. These are not the stats of a No.1 Draft pick, so it’s no wonder his confidence is down.
The loss to New England was his lowest yardage since Week 1. He only threw for a paltry 120 yards. Having 18 sacks in just the past three games, Williams is taking a toll both physically and mentally.
However, the rookie’s struggles are not all on him. Many point fingers at Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, whose play-calling has seemed disjointed and ineffective. The Bears’ offensive line is providing little to no protection, leaving Williams under constant pressure. For the Chicago faithful, the frustration is mounting as they watch another high-profile draft pick struggle in a system that appears woefully unprepared to support him.
The Bears’ current state is dire. While it’s not necessarily the end of the line for Williams, as rookie quarterbacks often face daunting challenges, the Bears could still help him turn a corner if they address systemic issues.