To say Caleb Williams has lived under a microscope would be an understatement. Ever since the Chicago Bears drafted him, the national media have turned every minor detail into a headline. But this time, the critique rebounded. When ESPN’s Sam Acho broke down Williams’s rough start against the Chiefs, he zeroed in on something nobody expected—the quarterback’s socks. Acho bluntly called out Williams for keeping his “socks halfway down,” lumping that in with the struggles against Kansas City’s starters.

Acho explained his reasoning in detail: “It’s not a huge deal, but when you’re looking at the franchise quarterback, the leader of the team, you want to be in full uniform, you want to be a guy that other teammates can look to. And it’s something you can point to when you do have penalties and you’re sloppy, you’re saying ‘man, this guy doesn’t even focus on the little things.’” That comment tied Williams’s appearance to discipline, something Acho felt reflected poorly on a young QB already under fire.

In the game against the Chiefs, he had one touchdown for 113 yards. When your team has won the game and the expert is pointing toward your socks, that definitely feels odd. Now, the reaction has flipped. Fans across the Windy City aren’t questioning Williams’s socks at all—they’re calling out Acho for the take instead.

Bears fans clash over Caleb Williams’ sock drama

So as Acho’s video spread across social media, the reactions came in fast. One bluntly wrote, “ESPN is really going downhill fast…😳😬” while another feels Williams did nothing wrong, saying, “Nah, that’s valid, you gotta have some drip as a starting qb.” The truth is, Williams already had enough issues in that game that pointed to bigger concerns without dragging his socks into the debate. Instead, the focus should have been on the shaky offense, which is exactly what Ben Johnson decided to highlight.

“It is disappointing to me offensively for sure. I thought that we had kind of worked our way out of that. I’m still learning this group as well. If the first quarter was really any indication, it’s not good enough. So, we got to get better in a hurry,” he admitted. Yet Johnson wasn’t all doom and gloom.

He added a hopeful note: “The good news is that we’ll be able to look at this tape and coach it up with our guys, and I think it’s out of our system, hopefully, for us going into the regular season. We got to make sure that we start faster on offense and on defense.” Still, context matters.

This wasn’t just any warm-up game. It was a tough road trip against the Chiefs, a defending powerhouse. The Bears are staring at one of the league’s hardest road schedules this season, and nights like that serve as a reminder. If history tells us anything, Williams has had problems settling down early in games, especially in hostile environments.

In fact, last season painted the same picture. Williams posted a 78.8 passer rating in the first quarter compared to 95.3 in the fourth and 108.3 in overtime. The Bears often dug themselves into holes early, forcing him to climb out late. Some brushed it off as bad coaching or poor blocking, but others feared it was about Williams not nailing down every detail of his prep. Road noise, pressure, and hostile crowds—those situations repeatedly exposed him in the past.

Even then, not everyone thinks Acho’s critique is off base. One fan argued, “It’s called an NFL rule. He’s gonna be fined every single game. If he wants to keep giving away money, and every week the fine will go up, feel free. I guarantee by week three them socks are up!” Another quickly fired back, though with the reminder, “Preseason DOESNT COUNT !!!!” The back-and-forth shows how divided Bears fans really are over the issue.

Yet the league’s stance is clear. The NFL sock rule requires players to wear team-approved, knee-high socks: white from the shoe to mid-calf, and the rest in the team’s colors. Break it, and the fines pile up. Still, fans kept it light with jokes like, “He pulled them down and instantly started playing better tho.” For Caleb Williams, though, wardrobe debates aside, the bigger task is obvious—cleaning up the football before the season kicks off in two weeks.