Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Kirk Cousins, and Justin Herbert.
These are some of the notable quarterbacks who have suffered season-ending injuries over the past few years. Of course, Chicago Bears fans never thought they'd see Caleb Williams' name added to this list, and even still, we don't yet know the severity of his injury.
I repeat: we do not yet know if Williams' injury is a season-ender, but it sure looked and felt like it upon first glance.
When the Bears' franchise quarterback hit the ground late in that fourth quarter, every single fan thought the same thing: that doesn't look good. The season is over.
Whether or not it's a season-ending injury, seeing Williams go down like that and stay down? It was scary. It was a total gut punch. Fans immediately saw the season flash before their eyes, and so did Williams' teammates.
Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and others react to Caleb Williams' injury
In the locker room after the game, Bears reporters caught up with a few of Williams' teammates who offered some heartfelt and emotional reactions.
"I've never seen him go down like that and be down like that. He usually pops back up, and I've seen him pop back up from hits, all sorts of things," wide receiver Rome Odunze said. "So, defintiely not a great feeling, but [I] instantly prayed for him and know that he's going to be back, ready to go as soon as he can."
"Your heart sinks a little bit for your quarterback. He gives it all out there for us every single week. It definitely hurts," Odunze added.
Odunze's sentiments are right on par with every Bears fan watching. At least, I can say I was right there with him. Watching Williams go down, your heart instantly sinks. It's sort of this nauseous feeling you wish wasn't real ... but it is.
Odunze's running mate, Luther Burden III, offered up a similar reaction and got right to the point:
“It hurts, man…he’s the heart, soul, and engine of this team."
"Hopefully he’s okay and gets back out there," Burden finished.
Burden's thoughts sum it all up pretty well. When Williams went down, that sinking feeling in everyone's stomach was because of that very notion. He is the heart and soul of this team.
Without Williams, the Bears will have to somehow pick up the pieces.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson's reaction was also right in line with the majority of the fan base:
"Oh, s—." Johnson said in reference to his thoughts when Williams went down. "It’s part of adversity, it’s part of the game. But we need him, obviously, so hopefully he’s able to get back."
Malik Muhammad's reaction to Caleb Williams' injury offers a surprising dose of hope
One of Williams' teammates was obviously just as worried, initially. Cornerback Malik Muhammad noted that everybody at Soldier Field was worried, but when he talked to his quarterback after the game, Williams' response put him at ease.
"I'm worried. If 18 gets hurt, I'm worried. I think the whole stadium was worried, maybe the whole world," Muhammad said.
The rookie cornerback also had this to add:
"He should be good. I asked him after the game and he said he'll be good."
He'll be good? He'll be good?
What does that mean?
I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but there were multiple reports of Williams walking on his own power in the locker room -- and without a limp.
At this point, we all might just be coping. But, how can we ignore the fact that Williams walked through the locker room without any assistance or even without a limp?
Maybe, just maybe, Muhammad's short interaction with Williams, and these reports, are all positive signs going forward.
Read more: Everything Ben Johnson said about Caleb Williams' injury in postgame comments
Either way, the injury itself was a brutal moment. It was terrifying. It was gutting. And Williams' teammates felt it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google