Williams, Bears keeping sack numbers down this season

A little over a year ago, the Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams thought they had reached rock bottom.

Williams had just been sacked nine times in his ninth career game in a loss to the New England Patriots. It was a disappointing effort where the Bears scored three points against a team that eventually finished with a worse record. The loss cost offensive coordinator Shane Waldron his job a couple days later.

Sunday was a 180 for Williams and the Bears. No matter how much the talented New York Giants pass rush tried, they couldn’t reach an elusive Williams in a 24-20 win for Chicago. Williams finished the Bears’ ninth game of the season with zero sacks allowed, the second time he and the Bears accomplished the feat this season.

The performance showed just how drastically things have changed for Williams in terms of his sack numbers. A year after the Bears set a new team record for quarterback sacks allowed, Williams has been sacked 14 times, changing how effective he can be in games.

“It’s huge,” Williams said Wednesday.

The Bears allowed Williams to be sacked 68 times last season. That number topped the previous Bears record when Justin Fields was sacked 55 times in 2022. It ranks tied for third in NFL history according to Statmuse, eight shy of former Houston Texans quarterback David Carr’s record in 2002.

The number was a multi-pronged problem. Part of it was due to poor offensive line play. But some of it was also due to Williams not knowing when to get rid of the ball or go out of bounds.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles addressed the first part during the offseason. Poles traded for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson before free agency began and signed center Drew Dalman. He drafted tackle Ozzy Trapilo in the second round of this year’s draft, though he’s played a limited role this year.

Those improvements have paid dividends as the season has progressed. The Bears have done a better job running the ball the past five games thanks to the offensive line’s blocking. That’s forced defenses to defend it more and not send as much pressure on Williams.

The unit has also done a better job keeping a clean pocket. And when the protection breaks down, Williams finds a way to get out.

“We’ve got some really clean pockets throughout, tight ends are a big part of our protection scheme, so our backs and even our receivers get involved occasionally with our dropback pass game as well,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. “So I think it always starts there, but there’s no mistaking what Caleb can do. He just, he feels it, and the way he evades is, I think, it’s second to none.”

Williams’ feel and comfort in Johnson’s offense have also played a major role in the lower sack numbers. As Williams understands what Johnson wants on each play, he’s done a better job going through his progressions. He’s done a better job throwing the ball away when there’s not a play or using his legs to gain yards.

The Detroit Lions sacked Williams a season-high four times in Week 2 before the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t get him down in Week 3. The Washington Commanders sacked Williams three times in Week 6 but teams have brought him down four times in last four games.

Some of it is also Williams’ natural instincts. There were plays where it seemed the Giants had Williams. Instead, he spun and avoided tackles to turn nothing into something.

“I don’t know, maybe a sixth sense kind of thing,” Williams joked about his ability to evade pressure. “I have no idea. In the moment and in those times I just feel a little color or maybe feel the tackle getting edged and just try and get out of it and make a play.”

Johnson joked Wednesday that those scrambles turning into big plays are what leads him to believe he’s the best coach in the country. But those scrambles have been a delicate balance for Williams and the coaching staff.

For now, Williams’ elusiveness is leading to big plays and low sack totals.

“I think that’s the beauty behind what we have going right now,” Johnson said. “As a coaching staff, we try to get that primary receiver open as much as we can and sometimes the defense doesn’t cooperate with you so Caleb knows if we can’t get one to two or if he’s feeling the pressure, that he can still make us right and we can still have a good play. I think that’s a cool thing about where we’re at right now.”

Williams is on pace for 26.4 sacks this season. But ejecting too quickly from the pocket has resulted with Williams missing some big plays through the air like he did against the Giants.

“I do have this ability to get out of stuff but also there are going to be times where let’s just go and drop back and let’s deliver the ball,” Williams said. “I’ve done it every so often. But just doing that more often and just finding the balance is tough. But that’s what we’re searching for.”