Disaster struck on Sunday for the Chicago Bears, as star quarterback Caleb Williams went down with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. The young quarterback writhed in pain on the field before eventually being assisted to the sideline and carted back to the locker room.
Bears fans immediately assumed the worst, while holding out hope for some good news following the game. Unfortunately, Chicago was unable to win the game without Williams, and Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t deliver any news, regarding the quarterback’s injury, that would make fans exhale.
Johnson explained that the team will get a better idea of the severity of Williams’ injury on Monday, when the quarterback is set to undergo imaging. However, the head coach made sure to note that Williams is in good spirits, and is a team player, but emphasized that it’s a shame to see the quarterback go down.
"He’s in good spirits. A team player."Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson says Caleb Williams is in good spirits despite hamstring injury
The head coach let everyone in on how he reacted to witnessing the injury take place, and Johnson went through the same process that every fan did. He knew something was wrong immediately, thought it was a knee injury, but breathed a sigh of relief when he found out it wasn’t. However, the head coach is still concerned because he knows hamstring injuries can be severe as well.
"You could kind of see in real time. I'm actually happy it’s nothing with the knee. You know, that was my first inclination. But yeah, the hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So we'll see how bad it is tomorrow, and you know, we'll go from there."Ben Johnson
Now, it’s a waiting game. The Bears will learn more on Monday when Williams undergoes imaging, and from there, the mood for the city of Chicago will be set. Based on Sunday’s events, fans are already bracing to be without the talented quarterback for at least a few games, it’s just a matter of how long that absence will be.
Obviously, the hope is that the injury isn’t a season-ending one. Beyond that, the Bears will need Williams back in the lineup in time to keep the team in the playoff race, and to get in a groove ahead of the postseason. For that to be accomplished, Chicago would need for Williams to be back on the field by some point in December, at the latest.
Until Williams is back, whenever that is, the Bears will look to Tyson Bagent to keep them afloat. Bagent signed a two-year, $10 million extension last offseason, because he’s considered one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. It’s now time for Bagent to prove that in what will be a pressure-filled opportunity.
Read more: 7 instant takeaways from Bears' soul-crushing Week 2 loss to Vikings
Chicago has high expectations this season, but those expectations were set with Caleb Williams in mind. While the team waits to see when he’ll be back on the field, Bagent will do his best to keep the Bears in the mix.
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