Week 6: Bears at Commanders MNF on ABC/ESPN

[BigSlick]

1 hour ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

The Cowboys game is doing a lot of heavy lifting for Caleb. It's the only game where he hit 65% of his passes. This number would probably improve quite a bit if he leaned on his TEs more, but his comp% does suck, his accuracy is a culprit, and the drops play a lesser role. He playing good but again, the bar has been raised immensely - his 98.0, which would shatter all-time Bears marks, is 17th in the league this year. 17th!.  He is on pace for 4K, hes 12th in the league in ypg, thats nice. Although Mac Jones is on pace for 5300, so...

 

He is also 29th in success%, 22nd in 1st downs. Those marks need to improve a lot. He could be a lot more efficient, hopefully that's coming. Still a lot of uncompetitive passes.

 

 

Yeah I'd say 17th is right, maybe a couple spots higher in my eye test. That's fine and where I'd expect him 5 games in with Johnson, provided he continues to improve over the course of the season. 

[BigSlick]

I'm supposed to be mad/disappointed the Bears have a bonafide average quarterback?? (in his second year and first with a new coach) Come on now. 

Edited October 14, 2025 by BigSlick

[gflore34]

Watching some of Jenkins breakdown, early throw to Rome was an under throw, was also very obvious PI.  Which, of course, went uncalled.

[Wilson A2000]

2 hours ago, jersey cubs fan said:

I think a first year head coach won’t get the privilege of influencing ref calls that an established HC will get. It’s the same privilege of winning that veteran QBs get for roughing calls. If BJ can get through this season as a 9 or 10 win team then he’ll have more opportunities to do this type Of stuff down the road. 

I think you’re right, but we all know Ben has some red ass in him and should be jawing with the officials on the bad calls

[Soul]

9 minutes ago, gflore34 said:

Watching some of Jenkins breakdown, early throw to Rome was an under throw, was also very obvious PI.  Which, of course, went uncalled.

Which seems like it might have been intentional.  I say that because Caleb doesn't really underthrow anything.  It's almost always too long when he misses.  So yeah....where's the PI on that?  It's a regular occurrence.  Gets called all the time.

[Soul]

1 hour ago, gflore34 said:

Fine.  Wonder if the Commanders had such an alignment last night.  I'm guessing yes.

Now I'm going to watch every game next week and pick out whether teams are really obeying this supposed new "rule."  I'm guessing not, but I'm open to being proven wrong.

I mean the whole reason OTs cheat a little is to give them a bit of an edge protecting the QB.  The league wants to protect QBs but they're going to make it easier for the QB to take big hits from the side?  Just doesn't make much sense to me.  But I'll be the first to say nope, I was wrong, teams are lining up perfect now.

[Soul]

46 minutes ago, BigSlick said:

Yeah I'd say 17th is right, maybe a couple spots higher in my eye test. That's fine and where I'd expect him 5 games in with Johnson, provided he continues to improve over the course of the season. 

It's so crazy to me how quickly the standards have been raised.  I remember when Aaron Rodgers said he thought he could get the 70% completion percentage, and everyone thought he was too full of himself.

Now kickers reel off FGs in the high '50s, low '60s all the time.  Not that long ago a 50 yarder was the point where people thought, it's not a gimme.  Anything in the mid-50's was a stretch except for a select few kickers.

[BigSlick]

5 minutes ago, Soul said:

It's so crazy to me how quickly the standards have been raised.  I remember when Aaron Rodgers said he thought he could get the 70% completion percentage, and everyone thought he was too full of himself.

Now kickers reel off FGs in the high '50s, low '60s all the time.  Not that long ago a 50 yarder was the point where people thought, it's not a gimme.  Anything in the mid-50's was a stretch except for a select few kickers.

Football has changed crazily in just the past 10 years. The field goals, completion percentages, going for it on 4th down, going for 2, etc. 

I don't necessarily like where football has gone of late, but QBs are expected (good ones anyway) be far more efficient than we're used to. I don't like seeing decent QBs regularly have 70+% completion percentage games, but its what good ones do. And Caleb isn't at that efficiency yet. 

[UMFan83]

Wild that we haven’t played at home in 3 weeks but 3 of our next 5 our still on the road. I get it one week was a bye, and we play 1 less home game this year but it feels like we’re never home. Hopefully having more road games towards the end of the season is helpful for us because we’re fighting for a playoff spot. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

So between the Rome TD, the Zacheus drop, and then the Caleb 5 yard scramble for first that could have been a 40+ yd td to a streaking wide open Rome, there was a good 150-175 yards lost, and possibly 3 tds. 

[BigSlick]

19 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

So between the Rome TD, the Zacheus drop, and then the Caleb 5 yard scramble for first that could have been a 40+ yd td to a streaking wide open Rome, there was a good 150-175 yards lost, and possibly 3 tds. 

Johnson's offensive design is clearly top notch. The talent still isn't quite there yet and you can see his scheme is superior and he's making adaptations when things aren't working (the run game is a great example of that)

I didn't even really hate the design on the 4th and 1 play, I just don't think Caleb played it super well. 

[WrigleyField 22]

I think he broke his dick

 

[Soul]

"A groin deal that he was dealing with."

That's a new one.  Always gotta watch out for those groin deals.

[mul21]

Just now, Soul said:

"A groin deal that he was dealing with."

That's a new one.  Always gotta watch out for those groin deals.

No kink shaming!

[gflore34]

Checking some of the film on the Bears OL performance, they really dominated the LOS on run plays.  It's super impressive, Wright was a monster and Benedet is very encouraging.  Honestly, only reason this game was close was poor officiating, it kept the Commanders in the game.

[Wilson A2000]

Sounds like there is a little backstory to the Ben Johnson/Caleb Williams/Troy Aikman controversy 

 

 

[BigSlick]

oh my god David Haugh is so horsefeathers annoying 

This is no different than any ESPN blowhard trying to manufacture a controversy. It's a nothing. 

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Troy Aikman was salty that Caleb wasn’t able to meet with him and let that irritation carry over into his analysis of his performance and somehow Caleb is the one catching heat from Haugh? What a dumbass.

[gflore34]

Haugh has a hard-on for Jayden Daniels as well, probably chaps his ass the Commanders loss and that his golden boy made a dumb ass mistake.

[NorthsideAvenger]

1 hour ago, Bobson Dugnutt said:

Troy Aikman was salty that Caleb wasn’t able to meet with him and let that irritation carry over into his analysis of his performance and somehow Caleb is the one catching heat from Haugh? What a dumbass.

This is a non-story from a Caleb/Bears standpoint. To me, David Hough is ragebaiting. He wants to manufacture a controversy because controversy sells. Caleb/Bears simply should move on and let this story die. 

 

Edited October 16, 2025 by NorthsideAvenger

[Wilson A2000]

3 hours ago, NorthsideAvenger said:

This is a non-story from a Caleb/Bears standpoint. To me, David Hough is ragebaiting. He wants to manufacture a controversy because controversy sells. Caleb/Bears simply should move on and let this story die. 

 

Ben Johnson brought up the controversy. It wasn’t just Haugh.

[Rcal10]

Players miss interviews all the time, or are late. Maybe Caleb was working on something. Maybe practice ran over. That is no reason for Aikman to act unprofessional in the booth. This idea what someone else would never do what Caleb did is ridiculous. I a solitary could see Burrow missing an interview and then posting something on instagram if am analyst went at him like Aikman did Caleb. Aikman was the guy who didn’t act professional. Speaking of “imaging what would be said if scenarios”: what would have been said about Caleb if he threw an interception and then right after it he was seen laughing on the sidelines? Nothing was said when Daniels did very thing. 

[NorthsideAvenger]

3 hours ago, Wilson A2000 said:

Ben Johnson brought up the controversy. It wasn’t just Haugh.

True, but to me it is not a controversy, It's hurt feelings by Aikman. The sooner the Bears/Caleb move on from it, the quicker the story will die. 

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, NorthsideAvenger said:

True, but to me it is not a controversy, It's hurt feelings by Aikman. The sooner the Bears/Caleb move on from it, the quicker the story will die. 

True. But it should be called what it is. Aikman being an horsefeathers because he got his feeling hurt by Caleb. As I said, he was the unprofessional one here. 

[Wilson A2000]

Dan Bernstein pointed out that according to PFF, Caleb Williams had a worse rating than Justin Fields with his -10 net passing yards. 31st rated QB last week. What?