In Week 1, Caleb Williams and his rebooted Chicago Bears did something that nobody had seen since David Carr and the 2002 Houston Texans. And it was something good! No rookie QB picked No. 1 overall in the past two decades had managed to start and win his team's opener, though Williams's success came in large part thanks to his defense and special teams. In the 24-17 comeback victory, nine points came from field goals, while the two touchdowns arrived courtesy of a blocked punt and this gift of an underhanded pick-six from a falling Will Levis. The No. 1 overall pick's stat line suffered from a distinct lack of pizazz—93 yards on 29 passes, 15 more on the ground—but a win was a win, and after an 0-4 start to the season last year, 1-0 felt pretty good for Chicago.
On Sunday night, however, Williams turned in a much more traditional tribute to David Carr's legacy: getting sacked a bunch of times in a loss in Houston. This was a tight game but not a pretty one—19-13 was the final, with only six total points scored in the second half—and as the Texans boosted themselves to 2-0 primarily off kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn's big beefy leg, they illuminated the uphill battle the Bears still face with the developing Williams at the helm.
The first half was more encouraging. The Texans' defensive front, which held Jonathan Taylor to just three yards per carry last week, made a habit out of stopping plays before they even got started, and the Bears' ground game was practically nonexistent as a result. But Williams at least did not look out of place on an NFL field, calmly finding receivers running conservative routes when given a few seconds to collect his wits in the pocket. Two out of four Chicago drives ended with a score, thanks in part to some field position and penalty help, and the Bears trailed a manageable 16-10 at the break.
The final came by the same margin thanks to Houston's own offensive stagnation, but the Texans defense played so ferociously that it didn't matter. After two drives that ended in three-and-outs, it felt like the pressure got to Williams, who was sacked seven times and rarely enjoyed the opportunity to watch a play unfold.
Midway through the third, Williams panicked and hurled a desperate deep ball for an interception negated by a defensive holding, but after the teams traded punts he turned the ball over twice for real. In both cases, it looked as though he was kind of exhausted with the way the possessions were going and craving a way to stop the Texans from dictating the parade of sacks, no-gains, and incompletions. In a third-and-16 hole on his own half of the field, Williams felt the pocket collapse and just tossed one up near the sticks, where Houston's Derek Stingley pulled it in. Following a Texans field goal, the rookie pretty succinctly demonstrated the gap between college and the pros, as an overconfident attempt to salvage a sack escape saw him carelessly throw a ball toward a receiver who was completely sealed off by three men in coverage.
When you're the most talented player on the field, you can sometimes will this highlight stuff into existence. But Williams finally isn't, and for as much as he clearly suppressed his playmaking instincts to avoid mistakes in his first three halves of NFL action, the dog's gotta hunt sometimes. The Texans, knowing they were facing a fragile offensive line and a QB unused to the speed of the pros, executed a perfect gameplan, boxing Williams in and then mercilessly shutting down his frustrated attempts to break out.
“He was able to evade the rush and get on the perimeter a few times, but then he has to be careful with the football when he gets out there,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said afterward. “So, there were some great learning moments for him.”
"I'm a little bruised up," Williams said, somewhat worryingly. "I took a couple hits today. I'm going to get in ice tubs and do all the things I need to do to make sure my body is ready for tomorrow and practice and obviously next game."
Chicago, who must be thrilled to say goodbye to the Texans defense, has an intriguing outlook for the year to come. There are enough assets all-around to snag a few wins, but the big journey will be protecting Williams as he learns when and how to reproduce the game-changing heroics that earned him a Heisman. At the moment, he's a big hunk of marble with a gorgeous statue hiding inside. But the Bears O-line shoulders the duty of ensuring he doesn't shatter.
Correction (11:09 a.m. ET): This post originally said that Caleb Williams was the first rookie since David Carr to win a Week 1 start. He was the first rookie picked No. 1 in the draft.
