The Chicago Bears will face the Green Bay Packers without their star quarterback, Caleb Williams, for the first time since his 2024 draft.
Williams was already ruled out for the Bears' Week 5 game against the Packers, and Tyson Bagent was named the starter. This made it clear that Williams is going to sit out the week with the hamstring injury, with a possible return in Week 6. He is missing his third game of the season, with the Bears 2-0 without him.
With the Bears rolling with Bagent, he showed some promise as the starter in their Week 4 win over the New York Jets, but it's not the same without Williams. Chicago will miss having Williams on the field against their top rivals, the Packers.
What will Bears miss the most with Caleb Williams not playing against the Packers?
Caleb Williams' speed and mobility
During training camp, everyone talked about how Williams lost weight, and his running on the field quickly showed it. His speed was different; he ran faster and looked more elusive with the football.
Bears fans got to see that in the Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers, when he ran for 65 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns. Williams showed off that speed with a 29-yard run that proved he was different from what he did in the pocket.
The Bears' rushing attack, which was already elite with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, got a boost from Williams, finishing the Panthers game with 291 yards, six touchdowns, and 7.5 yards per carry. When Williams is starting this season, the Bears average 227 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry, but without Williams, they average 180 yards per game and four yards per carry.
Yes, Chicago is still really good at running the football, but when Williams is in the game, the running game changes significantly. His speed alone turns the Bears' rushing attack from a top-five unit into an elite one.
The Packers are 28th in the NFL in run defense this season, allowing 139.3 yards per game. Chicago will have their way with Green Bay, but imagine how ugly it could have been for the Packers if Williams were running out there, especially with Micah Parsons and Edgerrin Cooper not playing in the game.
His ability to protect the football
Turnovers can be a killer, so it's a good thing killersWilliams is as good at avoiding them as any quarterback in the NFL. Since 2024, he has thrown only 14 interceptions in 36 games, an impressive rate that keeps the ball out of harm's way.
Bagent, on the other hand, has not typically been great at that in the regular season. In 2023, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns when he started. In the Jets game, he threw an interception and had four others called back for penalties. He lucked out big time, with New York helping him out.
The hope is that Bagent will be smarter with the football this week, but this Packers defense is pretty good at stopping the pass. They are ranked fourth in pass defense, allowing 185 yards per game, and are tied for second with four interceptions this year. This is where Williams would have been useful to make sure the Bears limit the turnovers because the potential is there for a multi-interception game from Bagent, which would be a nightmare scenario for the Bears in a big NFC North matchup.
The cluth gene Caleb Williams brings late in games
Williams can bring the team back from the dead and help them win games. In the previous two matchups against the Packers, the Bears stormed back from double-digit deficits in the second half to beat Green Bay. Chicago's Wild Card win over the Packers last year saw them down by 18 points entering the third quarter and storm back to win.
The Bears have typically been a slow-starting team, and that's been true so far this season. Last year in those two wins against the Packers, Chicago outscored them 50-6 in the second half and overtime.
One of the biggest reasons is that Williams flips the switch and can take over a game, dominating from the third quarter on. His playmaking lets him take advantage of a tired defense and gain chunk yards and touchdowns. All four of Williams' second-half touchdowns in the two wins over the Packers last year came in the fourth quarter or overtime.
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Bears fans haven't seen what Bagent can do when his back is against the wall and the game is on the line. Williams led an NFL-record seven comeback and game-winning drives in 2025. That is a trait that might be missed the most.
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