Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has taken a beating three games into his rookie season.
After being sacked four times in the Bears’ 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Williams has been sacked 13 times overall, third-most in the NFL. He trails only Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (16) and Will Levis of the Tennessee Titans (15).
Williams is on pace to challenge one of the league’s most dubious records and be sacked more than any quarterback in a single season in NFL history. If his current rate of 4.3 sacks per game continues, Williams would finish the 17-game season being sacked 74 times. That would be only two fewer than the current record of 76 set by David Carr of the Houston Texans in 2002.
It would obliterate the Bears' franchise record of 55 sacks set by Justin Fields in 2022.
While Williams isn’t blameless, the consensus around the league is that most of the blame for the high sack numbers falls on the team’s offensive line and coaching staff.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando relayed the thoughts of one evaluator. "The Bears' problems, in my opinion, start with the offensive line and the construction of it,” the source said. “Then it’s (offensive coordinator Shane )Waldron, especially when you look at the other coordinators in the division. He is clearly fourth. The head coach (Matt Eberflus) is fourth. Right now, the quarterback is surviving on his own."
The Bears have to find some way to help Williams stay upright, or he could face a similar fate to Carr’s, who was effectively finished as a starter after five seasons without ever posting a winning record.
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