“Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die,” said Carl Williams, father of Bears QB Caleb Williams, during a discussion with Seth Wickersham, author of American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback, months before the 2024 NFL Draft. But when things went down, the US signal caller and Heisman winner arrived in Chicago with one hope: transition. He even started strong with a 4-2 record, but after losing 11 consecutive games, everyone had questions.

Now, NBA veteran Draymond Green also pointed a finger at the sophomore. During his recent interview with Jordan Schultz, he first revealed his doubts about Williams’ ability to take the Bears into the Super Bowl. Green said, “I don’t think he’s ever going to figure it out to the level of what you expect from a number one pick. I don’t see he had a good game. He’s the number one pick. He should have a good game…”

And just when Schultz pointed out how he had 300 yards and 4 TDs against the Cowboys, the 35-year-old retorted, “That’s beautiful. Is he leading you to the promised land?… He’s not leading you to a Super Bowl in year 10 either.”

Well, football is a team game, just like basketball. So, Caleb Williams needs to involve himself with all departments, from offense to defense, if the Bears really want to win the Super Bowl. Green also praised his talent and even hoped for the sophomore to get a lot more success as a Black quarterback.

However, he didn’t stop the criticism there. While referring to their poor 5-12 record last season, Green then added, “When Chicago’s season was going to sh*t last year and they were losing close games, he didn’t write the sh*t. And what I question is, can he become a great leader? We have not seen that yet in his career, we didn’t see that at Oklahoma. We didn’t see that at USC. And we still have not seen that in Chicago.”

That’s a parameter of success that is hard to ignore. While he has a 7-1 TD-interception record in 3 games, the Bears’ signal caller couldn’t help them win games. After 3 weeks, they have a 1-2 win-loss record. So, the playoff spot is still a long shot. Even in his rookie season, he managed to accumulate only 3,541 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, as he had completed 351 of 562 passes (62.5% completion rate) and put up an 87.8 passing rate.

Such a performance raised questions about the accuracy, something that is not new for the 23-year-old. Even at USC, efficiency was one area that was sacrificed for explosiveness. His completion percentages—64.5 percent at Oklahoma, 66.6 percent in his Heisman year, and 68.6 percent in 2023—were good, but never elite.

This was glaring to the extent that scouts even flagged that his accuracy dipped under pressure, and yes, there is proof in the numbers: PFF grade under pressure dropped from 85.5 in 2022 to just 28.3 in 2023. Of course, the QB was dangerous when he had the avenue to create outside the pocket, but ball placement often suffered when he was forced to win in rhythm. And that is exactly what the power forward is pointing out.

However, Williams is doing everything he can to collect as many wins as he can.

Caleb Williams shines in Week 3 victory against the Cowboys

It was a game of experience versus the will to win. America’s Team came in with a 1-1 record while the Bears were looking for their first victory. Caleb Williams raised the heat from the first quarter itself. By halftime, they had already taken a 24-14 lead. In the second half, they had only one task. Stop the Cowboys from going ahead. And they dominated by scoring a touchdown while keeping their rivals scoreless. In the end, they won 31-14.

He finished with a 142.8 QB rating with 19 of 28 passes for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns. The NFC North franchise QB Dak Prescott went 31 of 40 for 251 yards and even scored 1 touchdown, but also recorded 2 interceptions. Even the replacement, Joe Milton, failed to impress, recording 3 of 5 passes for 41 yards and 1 interception.

The game was so inclined toward passing that the rushing game was nearly invisible for both teams. While the Bears only recorded double-digit yards (87), the Cowboys weren’t that great either, with only 121 yards. Even with lesser possession (27:02), Caleb Williams took them over the victory line.

For the first time, HC Ben Johnson bagged the win in his coaching career. With such a win, the Bears’ only hope for a better finish to the season is going forward.