After a four-touchdown effort against the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday, Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams announced his arrival to the rest of the NFL.
Watching Williams play quarterback for the Bears is becoming appointment television. Williams' ascension is one of the reasons why the Bears' game against the Washington Commanders in Week 8 has be flexed to the late-afternoon window. It's the battle between Williams and the quarterback selected right after him, Jayden Daniels.
While many believed Daniels to be running circles around Williams considering the hot start the Commanders' rookie had to the season, the turnaround in play from the Bears' quarterback seems to have validated the team's decision to select him with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Williams' play over the last three weeks has placed him firmly back into the conversation for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award at the end of the season. But Williams does not need to wait until the end of the season for the awards to start piling up.
On Wednesday, Williams was named the FedEx Air Player of the Week.
Let @CALEBcsw cook 👨🍳
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 16, 2024
Williams was excellent in Week 6. He completed 23 of his 29 pass attempts for 22 yards and 4 touchdown passes. This performance made fans quickly forget about his lone interception in the game when he underthrew DJ Moore on a potential touchdown pass.
Caleb Williams has reignited the Bears' rivalry with the Green Bay Packers
The Bears do not play the Green Bay Packers until Week 11 but with the award on Wednesday, Williams may already have bragging rights over Packers' quarterback Jordan Love. Love was among the other candidates who Williams beat for the award. In the Packers' victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Love completed 22 of 32 passes for a total of 258 yards and 4 touchdown passes of his own.
Williams is now the first Bears quarterback to win the FedEx Air Player of the Week award since Mitch Trubisky did so during the 2019 season. Who knows, perhaps Williams will be in play for the NVP award during Wild Card weekend.