Brutal new Caleb Williams stat proves the media is not overreacting

Pick an aspect of the game on Monday night and you'll get plenty of national criticism when it comes to the Chicago Bears' play against the Minnesota Vikings. Point the finger at the offensive line if you want. They deserve it.

But, you can absolutely roll with where the media has loved to point the finger, and that's directly at quarterback Caleb Williams.

The second-year quarterback showed no signs of improving one of his greatest weaknesses in his first game under Ben Johnson. The fact that we saw so many passes sailed over the head of Williams' receivers was more than alarming.

The media sees it and they've gone after him like you would have expected. The Week 1 overreactions are aplenty, but you know what? They're justified when you look at this alarming stat.

That. Is. Gross.

There is no defending the amount of overthrows Williams has put on tape over his first 18 games.

The Bears will not turn things around unless Caleb Williams improves in this one area

Now, to be completely fair on both ends here, this is actually a list you want to be closer to the top on but not necessarily leading the pack by a mile.

Take a look at other names high on the list like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford and Lamar Jackson. I don't think anyone would question those four quarterbacks being in the elite or great category. This list essentially proves which quarterbacks are taking more shots down the field. It's rare you see a quarterback sail a screen or quick slant.

In this case, the list represents quarterbacks who will throw the ball down field.

Yet, in Williams' situation he has exactly twice as many overthrows as someone like Lamar. They might be higher up on the list, but Williams and Jackson aren't even close in terms of talent and production level.

This only proves Williams has a long way to go, and the fact of the matter is, all of the media criticism is perfectly fair.

Does he have some extremely good traits? Absolutely. He is immensely talented.

But, if he cannot hit those open throws, nothing else matters. Williams has to start hitting his open targets. This is textbook type stuff that he simply isn't executing on. Ben Johnson can only do so much, but he can't make the throws for Williams.

Read more: It’s only 1 game but Ryan Poles is quietly under the microscope (again)

It is only a matter of time before you will start to see the frustration boil over from his wide receivers. DJ Moore and Rome Odunze want the ball. They're no different than any other wide receiver. And, depsite their perceived positive relationships with Williams, the one way to see it go south, quickly, is for Williams to continue missing them when they're open.