Bears general manager Ryan Poles traded for six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen as part of a master plan to give rookie quarterback Caleb Williams a cushion that would provide him a little miss room and keep him from having to be spectacular from the start.
It made sense. The 6-2, 211-pound Allen not only is a big target, but his forte is getting open — using his finesse and experience to find holes in defenses. The more pitch-and-catch throws for Williams, the easier it would be to get in a groove, both in each game and as he navigates his rookie season.
Getting open hasn’t been easy for Allen. He has been open (three yards of space or more) on six targets this season, with four receptions for 32 yards, per NFL.com‘s NFL Pro. (In his first four games last season with the Chargers, he had 24 receptions for 310 yards and two touchdowns on “open” targets).
But that didn’t stop Allen from having a breakout game against the Jaguars last week in London. His five receptions for 41 yards is modest production by his standards but monumental for the Bears and Williams — with three receptions converting third downs (including a touchdown), one converting on fourth down and the other a touchdown.
Allen did his part on the touchdown passes. He made a nifty, reaching, back-shoulder catch on a post route in the end zone, then beat one-on-one coverage on a fade for the other. But on both plays, Williams’ throw was even better than Allen’s catch.
“He was obviously in a rhythm after the first couple drives,” Allen said. “Even the fourth-down ball, the slant [for an eight-yard gain]. When he’s in a groove like that and all the balls are catchable, it’s pretty easy to play receiver.”
Six games into his NFL career, Williams is making it easier for receivers who are here to make it easier for him — more evidence that, while he has better support than Mitch Trubisky or Justin Fields had, he’s also just a better quarterback.
Williams’ accuracy against the Jaguars was another sign of progress. Tight end Cole Kmet was wide open on a 31-yard touchdown in the second quarter — a credit to coordinator Shane Waldron’s play design (but also Williams’ execution of a double-fake of screen passes). But many of the Bears’ best plays were on Williams throws in tight coverage.
In fact, in the Bears’ current three-game winning streak, Williams has excelled on throws in “tight” coverage (to receivers with one yard or less of space, as defined by NFL Pro) — 5-for-10 for 60 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 108.3 passer rating. Last year, Fields had a 59.5 passer rating on throws into tight coverage (15-for-45, 180 yards, three touchdowns, one interception).
“People can be as excited as they want to be,” tight end Kmet said. “He’s taken steps every game — I think that’s been evident. I’m sure he’ll tell you he’ll probably want that one throw back that he had to DJ [Moore, an interception]. But besides that, he did some really amazing stuff.”
Williams came to the Bears with arguably the best supporting cast of any quarterback drafted No. 1 overall in NFL history. And he’s the first No. 1 overall pick to be 4-2 after his first six starts.
But he has been a part of his own support system, helping not only his receivers but his offensive line, which got off to a rough start this season. Williams’ veteran-like navigation of the pocket has improved along with the effectiveness of the line. Against the Jaguars, Williams was sacked three times — but for losses of only five total yards.
The offensive line remains an X-factor as the Bears head toward more difficult games against playoff-caliber opponents. After three games, it was undercutting the notion that Williams indeed had the best situation of any No. 1 quarterback. But it has improved during the winning streak against teams that rank 20th, 31st and 26th in sacks per pass play. The game against the Commanders, who rank fifth in the NFL in sacks per pass play, figures to paint a clearer picture of progress.
And with the offensive line’s improvement, running D’Andre Swift is giving the Bears what they paid for when he signed a three-year, $24 million contract in free agency. Swift averaged 22.0 rushing yards, 1.8 yards per carry and 38.0 total yards in the Bears’ first three games. But in the last three games, he’s averaging 85.7 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry and 134.6 total yards.
But no part of Williams’ support system has held up its end of the bargain like the defense, which has been consistent overall since Week 1. The Bears are fifth in the NFL in points allowed (16.8 per game) and have held all six opponents to 21 points or fewer.
The Bears have scored 95 points in their last three games but have allowed only 44 points for a plus-51 differential. The last time the Bears had a scoring outburst that had everyone thinking the offense had arrived — in 2022 with Fields — they scored 124 points in four consecutive games (31.0 average) but were 1-3 because they allowed 129 points.
Fields eventually had the kind of defensive support Williams is receiving — he was 4-2 in his last six games, when the Bears allowed 15.5 points per game. By then, though, it was too late. The Bears knew they needed a better quarterback. And they have one.
