The Chicago Bears will host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in a crucial NFC matchup. Both the Bears and Rams are 1-2. A loss for either could make a postseason birth exponentially more difficult.
The game will feature one of the best veteran quarterbacks in the NFL, Matthew Stafford, squaring off with the number one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams.
Through his first three games, Williams has struggled mightily. He is completing just 59 percent of his passes, has thrown four interceptions, and has been sacked 13 times. Much of that is due to the poor play of the Bears' offensive line.
But Stafford's offensive line has not been much better. Yet, the 16-year veteran has only thrown one interception and is coming off a herculean effort against the San Francisco 49ers.
Williams has shown growth and maturity early in his career. That continued this week as he acknowledged what Stafford does so well and how he can improve his game, per the Chicago Sun-Times.
"He controls the game,” Williams said of Stafford. “As a quarterback, he knows how to get in and out of things efficiently; he knows where people are going to be and where the defenders are going to be so that he can move them on a string."
You can look no further than the 49ers game for proof of that. Stafford continuously changed the play at the line of scrimmage, called out protections, and recognized defenses to put his players in the best position to succeed. Stafford's game tape was as good as you will ever see.
That is something Williams aspires toward.
"Being able to be a better communicator to the coaches, the players... being a little more communicative and talking to those guys out there with us, [about] what they’re seeing," said Williams.
It is a great sign for Bears fans to see. He appears willing to put in the work and learn the craft. The next step is implementing what he is learning.
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