Bears ‘got our butts kicked’ in first game post-Matt Eberflus. What does that mean for Caleb Williams?

Caleb Williams bordered on shifting the blame.

Then he thought better of it.

The Chicago Bears rookie quarterback wasn’t denying he lost a third-quarter fumble. But for a moment, he didn’t display comfort owning it.

What happened on the pass he started to throw and instead lost in a motion sufficiently backward to warrant a fumble?

“Timing wise we were just — myself — a little off,” Williams said in the aftermath of a 38-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “So I was throwing the ball and timing was a little off. I held the ball and my hand was still coming forward and it was ruled a fumble.”

The play in question was the Bears’ first error but far from their first.

Yes, the Bears lost the chance to cut the lead to just a touchdown and field goal had this drive ended in the end zone rather than in a turnover. Instead, the 49ers capitalized on their gifted possession to march 62 yards in five plays, extending their lead to a full 25 points.

But ESPN analytics detailing win probability at each play point of the game reflect how unlikely a comeback already was. The Bears had a 4.9% chance to win before the fumble, per ESPN’s model. They had a 1.7% chance afterward.

So Williams’ correction from “we” to “myself” in taking accountability wasn’t about accurately reflecting how devastating that snap was after a first half far more debilitating for a Chicago team trying to regroup in their first game after firing head coach Matt Eberflus.

Rather, Williams’ correction matters because it reflected an understanding that perhaps the full context for the play was not the best answer to share in that moment.

Did Williams’ receiver suddenly misdirect on a route, creating hesitation on a throw that he basically stopped throwing? Did Williams’ protection slide to the wrong side, thus not buying sufficient time for the route to develop that Williams wanted to throw on this second-and-8 play call?

Perhaps even interim coach Thomas Brown, in his fourth game…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-got-our-butts-kicked-in-first-game-post-matt-eberflus-what-does-that-mean-for-caleb-williams-053732100.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-09 05:37:00

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