In the midst of a tough stretch of schedule to close the season, the Chicago Bears were not taking the Cleveland Browns lightly in Week 15. Then they went out and took care of business like a good team does when facing a bad team, beating the Browns 31-3.
While a highlight he authored during the game is dominating the conversation, an efficient performance from Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams should not be ignored. He took care of the football, so as not to give the inferior Browns any life, and he was often on-target with his throws in the kind of harsh weather conditions that have broken plenty of other quarterbacks.
Williams' two best passer ratings this season have come against two of the league's worst defenses (Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys and Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals). The Browns' defense was going to provide a stiffer test, but he posted his third-best passer rating of the season (112.5) against them.
Ultimate assessment of Caleb Williams' Week 15 performance misses the mark
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report graded each NFL quarterback's Week 15 performance, and he gave Williams his due for what he did against the Browns.
"The Chicago Bears need Caleb Williams to not make mistakes and sometimes unveil his brilliance when a play is necessary. He did both Sunday against the Browns."
"Williams didn't turn the ball over, even against Cleveland's talented defense. The 24-year-old signal-caller also made an awesome third-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver DJ Moore by rolling to his right, snapping an off-balance pass just before getting to the sideline and splitting two defenders to find his target in the back of the end zone."
Sobleski then gave Williams a 'B' for his performance against the Browns. Even after the Bears posted the most yards against them (361), Cleveland is third in the league in yards allowed this season (279.1 yards per game).
While Williams' completion rate would ideally have been better (17-for-28; 60.7 percent), Pro Football Focus also credited the Bears' pass catchers with four drops among those 11 incompletions. As a related residual, PFF had Williams' adjusted completion percentage for the game at 80.8 percent. And that leaves out the unrealized yards attached to those drops.
Williams played well against a tough defense in far-from-ideal conditions. Meanwhile, Sobleski gave Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott a B+ after he went 23-for-38 for 294 yards with no passing touchdowns in a Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That game was also indoors.
Sobleski's evaluation of what Williams did against the Browns and the grade he ultimately doled out don't match. If Prescott earned a B+ for what he did in Week 15, Williams deserved at least that, and there's a strong argument for a better grade than the Cowboys' signal caller.
Read more: Richard Sherman adds to buzz about Bears losing a well-regarded assistant coach
Williams does have a lot to prove in the big picture. But taken on its own, he did everything he had to do in Week 15. And his performance was certainly enough to earn better than a 'B' grade.