Through Caleb Williams’ first two seasons in the NFL, the Chicago Bears’ quarterback has avoided throwing many interceptions.
In 34 games played, Williams has thrown 13 interceptions. He finished with a 1.2% interception rate, which is the lowest in NFL history for a quarterback with at least 1,000 pass attempts, according to The Chicago Bears.
In the 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions in the regular-season finale, Williams threw his seventh interception of the season while trying to target DJ Moore on an explosive play in the third quarter. Defensive back Avonte Maddox boxed out Moore and created the takeaway for the Lions’ defense.
On the second-and-four play from Detroit’s 37-yard line, tight end Durham Smythe appeared open near the right side of the field. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle provided an in-depth answer on the coaching point for Williams.
"Yeah, he's reading that, basically we're running a double move on the safety,” Doyle said. “If we feel like we have leverage, we can flatten the receiver for that, and so he let that ball go, and that was his decision. Going back and looking at it, obviously, Durham (Smythe), pops open and so hindsight being 2020 with a clicker in your hand, you can say, hey, Durham's open, let's go ahead and get the ball there. You know, that was a situation where you really never want to go back and sit there and second-guess a guy a lot. But you do want to learn from that moving forward, and if we feel like we're in a similar situation, maybe our eyes progress to that over, we plug that, and then it's an explosive play."
A learning lesson for Williams going into the Wild Card vs. Packers
Williams could’ve thrown a better ball on that play, and Moore’s ability to fight through contact at the top of the route could’ve prevented a takeaway in that moment. But Doyle didn’t sound concerned with his quarterback’s decision-making.
In fact, it’s more of a learning moment for a second-year player who hasn’t thrown a lot of interceptions since he entered the league. Williams will have to prove he can learn from that mistake quickly, because any error in the playoffs will be magnified.
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The last time the Bears played the Packers at Soldier Field, Williams finished 19 of 34 for 250 yards and threw two touchdowns. He will need to replicate that turnover-free performance to put his team in the best position to win and advance from the Wild Card round.