Caleb Williams close to returning after rough performance for Bears quarterbacks

CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams could return for the Chicago Bears as soon this weekend at Atlanta. If Williams is unable to play, well, the next man up is still being worked out at the moment.

Tyson Bagent threw two interceptions during Sunday’s 31-7 loss at Green Bay. Case Keenum was picked off and lost a fumble after replacing Bagent early in the fourth quarter.

The Bears (3-2) had five turnovers against the Packers, matching their total for the first four games of the season combined.

“Like I said before, it’s nothing we can’t fix enough or won’t fix,” offensive lineman Jonah Jackson said Monday. “We’re just getting started. And the cool thing is we’ll be able to see them again.”

Williams is close to returning after missing three games with a right hamstring injury. But coach Ben Johnson was noncommittal when asked who would serve as the No. 1 quarterback if Williams isn’t available for practice on Wednesday.

“No determination has been made in terms of what direction we’re going,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of things that we’re assessing right now.”

Williams hasn’t played since he got hurt in the fourth quarter of a 9-3 loss to Minnesota on Sept. 20. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft worked out on the field before the loss to the Packers.

“He’s doing a great job progressing and we’ll see when we can make him available to help us win ballgames,” Johnson said. “But he’s itching to get back as soon as he can, which is a good thing, and when we get the green light, we’ll move forward from there.”

Keenum started Chicago’s 27-7 win over Philadelphia on Sept. 28, passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. But Bagent was in the NFL’s concussion protocol for much of week ahead of the Eagles victory.

Johnson went with Bagent for a 23-12 victory over the New York Jets in Week 4, and he threw for a career-high 268 yards in his most extensive regular-season action since his rookie year in 2023. He also threw an interception and had three more picks wiped out by penalties on New York.

The situation at quarterback has contributed to a bit of a roller-coaster start to the season for Chicago’s offense.

“The things we take a lot of pride in on offense are how we go about our business from a fundamentals, technique and finish standpoint,” Johnson said. “And those things aren’t consistent at the level with which we’d like them to be right now, so as a coaching staff, we got to make sure that we’re crystal clear on what the expectations are and we’ve got to get that out of our guys.”

What’s working

Well, Tory Taylor had a good day in Green Bay. He punted four times for an average of 53 yards, posting his eighth career game with an average of 50-plus yards on a minimum of four punts.

What needs help

Chicago has lost its first two NFC North games for the second straight year. It is 2-6 against its division in the regular season since Johnson was hired as coach.

The Bears managed to win the North last year for the first time since 2018, but their trouble in division play isn’t exactly a promising long-term strategy. Their next division game is Nov. 26 at Detroit.

Stock up

Austin Booker sacked Jordan Love on back-to-back plays on Green Bay’s final drive of the first half. He became the first player with sacks on consecutive plays for the Bears since Lamarr Houston accomplished the feat against the Chargers on Nov. 9, 2015.

The 23-year-old Booker, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft, has a team-high four sacks in five games this season. He had a career-high 4 1/2 sacks in 10 games last year.

“When you see the snap count go up, you see the production go up. And I think that’s all there is to it,” Booker said.

Stock down

With Kyle Monangai sidelined by toe and thumb injuries, Roschon Johnson had an opportunity to make a case for an expanded role. The running back had a team-high five receptions for 34 yards, but he finished with just 6 yards on five rushing attempts.

If Monangai remains out, the Bears could take a closer look at Zavier Scott or Salvon Ahmed on their practice squad.

Injuries

Johnson said he didn’t have an update on the team’s injuries in Sunday’s loss. Linebacker T.J. Edwards left with a hamstring injury in the first half. Defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo (quadriceps) and defensive backs Tyrique Stevenson (hamstring) and Cam Lewis got hurt in the second half.

Key number

5 — In the loss to the Packers, the Bears became the first team to allow five completions of 35-plus yards in a game since the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 of the 2019 season against the San Francisco 49ers.

Next steps

Chicago takes on Bijan Robinson and Atlanta on Sunday. It’s the first meeting between the teams since the Bears beat the Falcons 37-17 at Soldier Field on Dec. 31, 2023.

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