It wasn't pretty, but the Chicago Bears pulled out a 24-20 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday. Caleb Williams put the team on his back late, with a late run to set up a touchdown pass to Rome Odunze and the winning score with his legs.
To go with using his legs like he should do more often (eight carries for 63 yards), Williams went 20-for-36 through the air for 220 yard and a touchdown against the Giants. But he lost a ton of production to a litany of dropped passes, and the weather (not nearly as bad as it threatened to be days before the game) can't be blamed for those miscues.
Leading the way in drops was wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, with three-including one that would have been a touchdown. He he has now topped 50 receivng yards in a game just once this season, and in that same game (Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals) he also had his lone touchdown of the season thus far.
It's time for Ben Johnson to pay off promise that's been weeks in the making
After a rough Week 2 loss to the Detroit Lions, Bears head coach Ben Johnson called out his team and promised to get rookies Luther Burden and Colston Loveland more involved in the offense. An injury for Loveland derailed that for him in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys, but Burden had a breakthrough performance with over 100 yards and a touchdown on three catches.
Still, Burden played just 17 of the Bears' 59 offensive snaps against the Cowboys. More playing time seemed to be in the offing, but it did not come to fruition in subsequent games. Then he suffered a concussion in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens, and he missed Week 9.
Data regarding drops varies depending on the source, as they are generally subjectively determined, but Sunday was not the first time they've been an issue for Zaccheaus. If not for Williams' heroics late, the dropped touchdown he had could have turned Sunday's win into a loss.
Even when Zaccheaus catches passes, it's not like he's dynamic with the ball in his hands. Meanwhile, Burden has the speed to be a downfield threat along with excellent ability after the catch. He also caught all three of his targets on Sunday, for 51 yards.
According to Pro Football Focus, driven by DJ Moore suffering a shoulder injury in the game, Burden played a season-high 33 offensive snaps on Sunday. Zaccheaus played 39 snaps.
Up to a certain point, it's ok to defer to veteran players as rookies find their footing early in the season. But we're past that point now, and it's time for Johnson to make Burden the third Bears' rookie with a prominent role in the offense down the stretch--at Zaccheaus' expense.