Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams suffered an ankle injury against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9. While the Bears were embarrassed by the Cardinals in Sunday’s 29-9 loss, it may not have been the biggest loss of the day for Chicago.
While it’s certainly worth debating if Williams should have been in the game late in the fourth quarter, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus will now have to deal with the unfortunate result of his questionable decision-making.
Here is the latest on Williams’ injury status following Chicago’s loss to the Cardinals.
What Happened to Caleb Williams?
Williams and Chicago’s offense had a rough performance in Arizona, as the Cardinals limited the Bears to just 241 total yards in Week 9. Although Arizona was up 29-9 late in the fourth quarter, Chicago inexplicably marched Williams and the starting offense back onto the field.
On the final play of the game, Williams got up slowly and appeared to be favoring his ankle as he limped toward the sideline.
Caleb Williams appears to limp off the field as the Bears fall to the Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/YctjoP7UQb
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 4, 2024
Following the game, Williams said that he tweaked his ankle and that he would be OK, according to Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network.
Williams mentioned that he initially tweaked his ankle on the second-to-last play of the game, before having his ankle grabbed and gator-rolled on the final play of the game.
Before injuring his ankle, Williams struggled to get much going against Arizona’s defense. According to the PFN Insights QB+ metric, Williams received a letter grade of D+ for his performance against the Cardinals, which ranked second-worst among all quarterbacks that played in Week 9 through Sunday’s afternoon slate.
CBS Analyst Questions Why Williams Was Still in the Game
Chicago’s offense took the field with 2:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. Despite trailing by three possessions, Williams and the other starters inexplicably took the field in Arizona.
Before Williams injured his ankle, CBS analyst Charles Davis questioned Chicago’s decision to send the rookie quarterback back onto the field in an essentially meaningless situation.
Charles Davis was critical of Caleb Williams being out there before the quarterback was hurt.
"I'm not sure how many lessons there are for him in this ballgame. I want that kid ready to go for next week." pic.twitter.com/BsWo4u3mWt
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 4, 2024
While it’s unfortunate that Williams suffered an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter, this situation was entirely avoidable. Eberflus and Chicago’s coaching staff were already the topic of discussion for many following the team’s struggles in recent weeks.
Now the whispers about Eberflus’ performance and his future as head coach of the Bears will only continue to get louder. If Chicago views Williams as the team’s franchise quarterback, there is no reason why he should be on the field in this situation.
Although Williams stated that he would be OK following the game, it’s worth mentioning that Tyson Bagent is Chicago’s backup quarterback and the only other QB on the team’s active roster.
Bagent started four games for the Bears in 2023, as he led Chicago to a 2-2 record in his four starts. While Bagent flashed some potential with his rushing ability during his rookie season, he would be a significant downgrade for the Bears at quarterback.
Bagent had just three passing touchdowns in four starts last season as well as six interceptions. If Williams is forced to miss any time, it might be safe to bench the other players on Chicago’s offense that you might have on your fantasy football team.