Bears’ Eberflus: Williams looked good, Odunze slated for MRI

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus met with reporters Monday at Halas Hall a day after his team came back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17 in its season opener.

The Bears had a mixed bag of results Sunday. While rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense struggled in its first game of the season, the Bears’ defense and special teams helped power a comeback.

They’ll turn their focus to facing the Houston Texans on the road in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football. Here are three of the most interesting things Eberflus said Monday.

On what he saw from Williams

Although Williams didn’t put up eye-popping statistics and missed some throws in his debut, Eberflus said Williams looked good after watching through the tape of Sunday’s game. Eberflus noticed Williams’ footwork was a little bit off at times but said Williams threw a lot of good passes too.

“I thought his vision was good, I thought he was good,” Eberflus said. “I thought he saw it well, I thought he saw the coverage contours, he saw zero and adjusted on the fly in terms of post-snap. I thought he did a nice job.”

Williams completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 93 yards, his longest pass a 13-yard throw to D.J. Moore in the second quarter. He became the first quarterback taken No. 1 overall to win his first start since David Carr in 2002.

Part of the offense’s slow start was because the Bears offensive line struggled to protect Williams. He was sacked twice, one of which was for 19 yards after Williams kept moving backward.

Eberflus didn’t think there was much Williams could do on that play and commended Williams for not turning the ball over.

“I’m not out there playing but my evaluation is he took care of the football, which he did all day in the pocket,” Eberflus said. “I know he had the two sacks but did a nice job of taking care of the football, that was really the difference in the game. The quarterback on the opposing team had the giveaways and we didn’t.”

Williams did miss some throws Sunday. He overthrew a wide-open Keenan Allen down the sidelines in the first quarter and had some other throws where he was off target. Eberflus wasn’t concerned about the miscues.

“There’s not too much to it,” Eberflus said. “As the chemistry builds throughout the course of the season as we stack these games up, it’s going to get better. He’s got a very accurate arm, his timing is good and the chemistry with the receivers is going to improve every week.”

On Rome Odunze’s knee injury

Rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze was set to have an MRI on his knee Monday, according to Eberflus. Although he didn’t know what play the injury happened on, Eberflus said he thought the injury occurred on a blocking play.

Odunze caught one pass for 11 yards after being targeted four times. It was a memorable first catch. He caught the ball after it was batted by a defender in the second quarter. He fumbled after taking a hit but offensive lineman Teven Jenkins recovered it.

Eberflus didn’t specify which knee he injured, didn’t know how concerning the injury was and hoped it wouldn’t be too bad.

“I don’t have enough information yet,” Eberflus said. “We’ll see on Wednesday.”

Odunze’s injury was the lone one Eberflus said he was concerned about. Both Moore and Allen left part of the games with injuries but they were nothing serious, according to Eberflus.

On offensive line struggles

Eberflus didn’t offer a concrete timeline for when he’ll have his offensive line set. Both Nate Davis and Ryan Bates split time at right guard Sunday, with both struggling at points to protect Williams.

Bates played 68% of the offensive snaps against the Titans while Davis played 32%. Both split time at the position during training camp after each dealt with separate injuries that kept them out for some time.

“You always want your five to be All-Pros, sitting there solid, making sure they’re good,” Eberflus said. “But again, situations are different. Those guys have been competing in there and we’re going to let it play out.”

Eberflus also voiced his support for center Colemon Shelton, who played a part in both of Williams’ sacks. The first sack came in the first quarter when Titans defensive lineman Keondre Coburn overpowered Shelton and forced Williams to retreat back for a 19-yard sack.

The second came in the third quarter when Shelton came in to support Davis and Darnell Wright on a block, leaving Titans linebacker Harold Landry III wide open to sack Williams.

“Coleman’s been in there and he’s done a good job of directing traffic and operating in there,” Eberflus said. “I know that he had a couple plays where he gave up pressures yesterday and he wishes he had those plays back. But again, we’re going to get better every single week.”