Over the past three seasons, Chicago Bears fans have set 300 passing yards in a game as a mile marker for Justin Fields to hit. It was a struggle for Fields to hit 200 passing yards in a game and the idea of him throwing for 300 yards was always a pipe dream, one of the reasons he is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fields, through the first three weeks of the 2024 NFL season, is undefeated with the Steelers and his 245 passing yards on Sunday was a season-high. For all the fans who were clamoring that Fields was already proving to be a better option than Williams, the Bears' rookie quarterback had an effort on Sunday that has yet to be repeated.
Most Pass Yards in a game this season
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 22, 2024
Caleb Williams 363 (Week 3)
Tua Tagovailoa 338 (Week 1)
Geno Smith 327 (Week 2)
Brock Purdy 319 (Week 2) pic.twitter.com/LdF1AQVRza
Caleb Williams already is a NFL passing leader.
No other quarterback in the NFL has passed for more yards in a single game this season than Williams. It only took three games into Williams' career for Bears' fans to finally have a quarterback who can throw for at least 300 yards in a game.
Of course, this is all said tongue-in-cheek. Anyone who watched the Bears' loss on Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts realized that Williams' 363 passing yards were mostly due to infrequent chunk plays. Not to mention, Williams passed the ball through 52 pass attempts.
There were plenty of disconcerting looks from the Bears' offense on Sunday, but one of the more obvious ones was that Williams still has work to do with establishing a connection with his wide receivers. Whether it was DJ Moore or Rome Odunze, there were clear signs of Williams anticipating one route but the wide receivers running something else.
Beyond that, Shane Waldron's offense remains without identity. That is why Bears fans can't enjoy the feat that Williams accomplished on Sunday. If anything, Williams' accomplishment feels like empty calories, considering the loss and how broken the offense looks.