After what ended up being one of the more pathetic and embarrassing losses we've seen from these Chicago Bears, in Green Bay, in quite some time, every fan in the Windy City was thinking the exact same thing.
Caleb Williams, we need you.
Watching Tyson Bagent struggle to stop throwing it into double coverage just eight yards out in front of him, on a regular basis against the Packers' defense, was both horrifying and dumbfounding. And fans can't help but wonder what this game would've been like had Williams been under center.
But we're not going to stoop to the level of Packers fans. Wins and losses with and against backup quarterbacks still count the same, so we'll take this one on the chin.
After the loss to Green Bay, though, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was, of course, asked about his starting quarterback and how close he is to a return.
"He's on track. We'll see if that's Atlanta or after. I think it's going to be close."
For those catching up, the Bears play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, on the road.
Caleb Williams returning against the Atlanta Falcons could give Bears a sweet new narrative over the Packers
The obvious postgame narrative from Chicago's Week 5 loss to Green Bay is that the quarterbacks played poorly -- and that's putting it nicely.
Tyson Bagent was atrocious. He didn't even come close to resembling an NFL quarterback.
And when he was pulled, it was already too late. Ben Johnson should've benched Bagent long before he did. But that's neither here nor there.
Back to the potential return of Caleb against the Falcons.
What's curious about the possibility of the Bears getting their quarterback this coming week against Atlanta is the fact that, not too long ago, those same Falcons absolutely wiped the floor with essentially the same Packers team that just beat Chicago.
If Williams is able to come back against the Falcons, and the Bears come away with a victory, then at least Bears fans will have that fun "what if" game to play the rest of the season.
Sidenote: it doesn't matter. The "what if" game holds zero weight.
But, that doesn't mean we won't play it.
If the Bears beat Atlanta, with Caleb back under center, then we could all at least feel a little better about losing to Green Bay with Bagent starting. It doesn't take away the sting, nor the loss on the record, but it's worth talking about.
Caleb Williams returning against the Falcons puts him right on his original schedule
With Williams going down to his hamstring injury all the way back in Week 2, the initial thought and diagnosis was that he misses about 3-to-4 weeks.
Here we are, now, with Week 6 putting Williams exactly at the 4-week mark.
For Bears fans who may not have seen, Williams was also out on the field in Week 5 getting a throwing session in. All week long, leading up to the Packers game, he was not being ruled out. It wasn't until game day that the Bears officially ruled Williams inactive against Green Bay.
And even then, we saw him warming up, moving and throwing on the run, even, prior to kickoff in Week 5.
If Williams is, indeed, "Superman" as they say, and he heals faster than the average person, then seeing him against the Falcons doesn't sound crazy.
But above anything else, Bears fans have to be hoping that he is 100 percent if he is back. The last thing the Bears need is to rush him back, even slightly.
Read more: Bears' loss perfectly summed up with Ben Johnson-Matt LaFleur postgame handshake
If Williams is healthy, then let's ride. It'll be great to see him back out there against the Falcons. But, we'll wait and see if/how Johnson's tone changes this week, throughout practice.
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