The Chicago Bears appear to have one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL on their hands in Caleb Williams, as his explosive arm talent and skill for avoiding sacks are perhaps the main reasons Chicago has a 7-3 record in 2025. However, he is by no means a perfect player.
Williams has two big flaws right now. He can try too hard to make something out of nothing when pressure gets in his face, and his iffy mechanics can lead to him sailing throws from clean pockets. Both of those issues got him into trouble in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Part of the reason the Bears found themselves down 21-17 to a Mason Rudolph-led Steelers team is the fact that Williams essentially handed them a free touchdown. Williams ran backward when TJ Watt got in his face, which led to a sack and fumble that was recovered by Pittsburgh in the end zone.
The box score looks decent, as Williams topped 100 yards and threw two touchdowns. However, he completed around half of his passes, and he was "off target" on 28% of his throws. On passes more than 10 yards downfield, Williams was 2-7 throwing.
Caleb Williams' big flaws hurting Bears in Week 12 game vs. Steelers
While the improved offensive line and Ben Johnson's schematic acumen have helped coach out some of the rougher edges in his game, Williams has a degree of chaos in his style of play that Chicago may need to accept is always going to be baked in.
Against a veteran defense like Pittsburgh that is going to capitalize whenever a young quarterback like Williams makes a mistake, No. 18 needs to work on being more consistent and avoiding the same flaws that ate into his productivity during his learning experience of a rookie year.
Williams did manage to get back on track when the second half came around, as he connected with DJ Moore for his third touchdown pass of the day (and his second to Moore) that helped the Bears retake the lead. Even when he isn't playing his best, Williams has a talent for snapping out of a funk when his team needs him to.
The Bears appear willing to live and die by the high-variance style Williams has brought to the table. So far in Johnson's debut season with the team, this franchise appears to be doing more living than dying despite a tough schedule.