CHICAGO – The feeling isn’t one of relief, or even that the Chicago Bears somehow dodged a bullet in their 9-3 loss Sunday, Sept. 20, to the Minnesota Vikings. But that the season still has a modicum of hope, even as quarterback Caleb Williams was carried off the field and carted into the locker room with a towel over his face, is a victory.
Williams, the dynamic playmaker who showed every bit of his athleticism once again, was on the verge of turning a three-point deficit into a Chicago advantage with his third rushing score of the season. He evaded diving Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and came up lame. Williams crashed into the Soldier Field grass and in plenty of pain, as the 58,914 fans who braved brutal conditions – wind and rain
from kickoff to the final whistle – sat in stunned disbelief.
Eventually, the Bears ruled that Williams had suffered a hamstring injury. Head coach Ben Johnson said the severity was unknown in the aftermath of the game and that the organization would know more Monday. Inside the Bears’ locker room, the team acted more like a group that wasted an opportunity to start the season 2-0 – and gave away the home opener to the Vikings for the second straight season – than a collective that had lost its starting quarterback and leader for an extended period.
“Just concerning, you know what I mean?” wide receiver Rome Odunze said. “Never seen him go down like that and be down like that. He usually pops back up (from) hits and all sorts of things.”
The play call, according to Bears center Garrett Bradbury, was a quarterback keeper. The offensive line blocked to the right as Williams darted left; Bradbury turned around and saw Williams on the ground. He said gave Williams a hug in the locker room and Williams was “in good spirits,” the same phrase Johnson used to describe the quarterback’s temperament.
Depending on the severity of the strain, Williams could miss a handful of games – almost certainly the Bears’ next contest, on “Monday Night Football” Sept. 28 against the Philadelphia Eagles – or even months. Nobody in the Bears' locker room appeared to believe that Williams' season is over, though, or that his absence will be extremely lengthy.
The truth, tight end Colston Loveland said, is that all football players experience this sort of thing.
“It sucks to say – a hundred percent injury rate here,” the second-year pro said. “So everyone’s gonna get injured. He’s strong. Whatever it is, he’ll be fine.”
On the heels of a Week 1 showing that featured two touchdown runs against the Carolina Panthers, Williams had a pair of highlight-worthy runs in the first half. Levi Drake Rodriguez dove at air instead of a ballcarrier when Williams perfectly executed a stop-and-go move near the sideline. Later, he somehow did not go down while rolling to his left and evading a sack, only to wheel around all the way to his right and then make Vikings defense look silly. He turned a fumbled snap into a 19-yard gain on Chicago’s first drive.
“It’s tough,” Loveland said, “all the stuff he does.”
Just before his injury, Williams fired a backpedaling completion to Odunze.
“Not a great feeling, you know, but instantly prayed for him and know that he’ll be back ready to go,” Odunze said, adding: “We know we’re going to get him back soon. I think he’s a very resilient guy.”
Bears have confidence in Caleb Williams backup Tyson Bagent
Williams was replaced by backup Tyson Bagent, who Johnson has considered one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the league (and therefore starter quality) and has earned the respect of his teammates.
Bagent led a two-minute drill into the red zone before Dallas Turner sacked him on the game’s final play.
“Tyson’s as ready as it gets,” Odunze said. “He’s ready each and every week for his opportunity to go out there and shine.”
Odunze anticipates spending this week building that chemistry – not that the Bears’ pass-catchers aren't already comfortable with the fourth-year pro.
“I felt like we responded good,” said Bagent, who had to deal with the emotions beyond simply relieving the guy ahead of him on the depth chart, as he and Williams have formed a bond over the last two-plus seasons. “It would have been nice to put it in the end zone.”
The team’s mentality, Loveland said, was to execute and score regardless of who the Bears’ quarterback was.
“Heck of a player,” Loveland said of Bagent. “He’s a baller. Really knows how to play quarterback.”
Bradbury was impressed with Bagent’s ability to enter an emotional environment with the game in the balance.
“He’s been in that position before,” Bradbury said. “Like I said, we have all the trust in him. We all have a job to do.”
For Williams, that job is to be back on the field as soon as possible.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Never seen him go down': Bears' locker room reacts to Caleb Williams injury
