London Calling: Caleb Williams's Rise to NFL Superstardom | 4 Downs

Championship Dreams and Rising Stars: Lions' Aspirations, Steelers' Identity, Eagles' Key Players, and Williams' Evolution

With apologies to Jon Landau, I have seen football’s future, and its name is Caleb Williams.

Making his sixth NFL start, Williams continued his string of games making significant strides in his development Sunday morning in London against the Jaguars, continuing to deliver on his promise as a generational prospect and the quarterback the Bears hope will break the Windy City’s generational curse at the most important position in sports.

Williams was stellar against Jacksonville, completing 23-of-29 passes for 226 yards with four touchdowns and one interception, but, the former Heisman Trophy winner chosen No. 1 overall’s numbers were merely a footnote of Sunday’s story.

"Caleb had a nice game," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said, arguably the biggest understatement to emerge from the United Kingdom since John Lennon’s death was declared ‘a drag’ by Sir Paul McCartney. "Really good solid work there by him in terms of distributing the ball to Cole [Kmet]. Cole had some really nice catches, a couple of touchdowns. Then Keenan made some really nice catches, some tight windows."

In reality, the game is clearly slowing down for the 22-year-old who is showcasing a consistently patient presence in the pocket, while more rapidly going through his progressions, which is leading to improved chemistry with the abundant weapons general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears have surrounded him with.

Through his first three games, the biggest concern for Williams was a lack of timing with his weapons, which the data backed up.

As pointed out by Bears reporter Jacob Infante, Williams’ on-target throw percentage through the first three weeks of the season was a league-low 53 percent of his attempts, but in Week 4 Williams’ threw catchable balls on 81 percent of his passes, fourth best in the league.

Sunday morning, only five of Williams’ passes hit the ground.

Williams’ early-season growing pains played out with the backdrop of questions from fans, analysts, and reporters wondering if Poles and the Bears made the wrong choice as Jayden Daniels passed for 1,135 yards through five weeks while leading the Washington Commanders to a 4-1 start and NFC East lead after being chosen one pick after Williams.

It’s time to put those debates, conversations, and questions to rest.

That’s because in two weeks when the Bears travel to Northwest Stadium in Landover, there will be two franchise altering quarterbacks squaring off against one another.

Against the Jaguars, tight end Cole Kmet looked like an All-Pro, catching all five of his targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Williams’ connection with fellow top-10 pick, wide receiver Rome Odunze seems stronger by the target, with Odunze accounting for 40 yards.

Meanwhile, one of Williams’ best throws came on a dart, between defenders, into the outstretched hands of All-Pro Keenan Allen in the back of the end zone for his third passing touchdown of the game.

Williams surpassed Cade McNown to become the first Bears rookie to throw three touchdowns in a game, and he did so with 11:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Beyond touchdowns, Williams continues to evolve and develop as a quarterback.

With 13:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, Williams scrambled to his right to evade pressure. But, instead of forcing the ball into trouble, throwing it away, or stepping out of bounds, the young quarterback led his star tight end, Kmet, for a 27-yard gain.

The play showcased Williams' ability to set up his targets by extending plays with his legs, rather than simply scrambling for a big run or making a rookie mistake.

Those rookie mistakes are becoming fewer and further between for Williams, which doesn’t just bode well for continuing to raise his ceiling but the Bears’ suddenly burgeoning playoff potential.

Chicago is now 4-2, and with remaining opponents boasting a .536 winning percentage, ahead of facing the second-easiest strength of schedule the rest of the way among NFC North Rivals.

With each passing week, Caleb Williams looks less like a rookie and more like the leader Chicago has long been waiting generations for.

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First Down: Lions Dominate Cowboys as Hutchinson Goes Down: Depth Proves Detroit Is Built for a Super Bowl Run

In the wake of a dominant 47-9 victory over the Cowboys, the Detroit Lions face a significant challenge as they lose former No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson to a fractured tibia, raising questions about how they will adapt moving forward.

The Lions’ offense is among the deepest, with multiple elite playmakers at every position, and is widely viewed as the driving force behind the franchise’s wide-open Super Bowl window.

And for good reason.

Sunday in Dallas, the Lions made a statement, handing Jerry Jones the Cowboys’ worst home loss during his tenure, the worst possible 82nd birthday present for the Hall of Fame owner.

Detroit’s top playmakers David Montgomery and Sam LaPorta combined for three touchdowns as part of the Lions’ blowout, 14 days after Jared Goff’s perfect 18-of-18 passing performance fueled a win over the Seahawks in front of a national television audience.

Still, for all of the deserved accolades coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense gets, and even after posting 492 total yards in Arlington on Sunday afternoon, it’s past time the Lions’ defense built in the image of the Motor City’s fighting spirit is recognized as one of the most complementary forces in the league.

The homegrown Maulers on the Banks of Lake Erie, built almost exclusively through the draft by Lions general manager Brad Holmes made their presence known, once again, against the Cowboys.

“It isn’t just about talent acquisition,” an NFL Executive tells me, praising what Holmes and the Lions have built on defense. “But its about roster construction, and that’s where Brad is at the top of the league.”