Introduction
The Bears entered 2025 once again crowned as “offseason winners” for the fifth year in a row. This time, it felt warranted: they landed the best head coach candidate of the last three years, bolstered the offensive line, and drafted two offensive weapons in the first two rounds.
But reality hit fast. Chicago lost in Bears fashion on prime-time television in a game they should have closed out, then were blown out by their new coach’s former team. Through two weeks, the Bears rank 26th in EPA per dropback and 20th in offensive DVOA. Stats alone don’t tell the story, so I broke down the All-22 to see how Caleb Williams is really playing.
First Quarter
Quarter Overview
The Bears opened with rhythm. The run game was productive, pass blocking was steady, and Caleb Williams looked in control. He hit quick throws, navigated pressure, and played within structure. There were missed opportunities, but he looked poised overall.
Every Dropback is linked with the All-22
Key Dropbacks
- Dropback 4 → Lions show Cover 2 zone with man on Moore. Moore runs a crosser and beats his man. This looks like Caleb’s third read, and he works there correctly. He delivers the throw for a solid gain, but it’s slightly behind Moore. That small inaccuracy prevents YAC that could have turned into an even bigger play. The progression and recognition are strong, but the placement needs to be cleaner.
- Dropback 6 → Lions send six-man pressure with a 2–3 zone behind it. Odunze runs a crosser, and the linebacker doesn’t react, staring at him as he crosses. Caleb reads the pressure perfectly, stands tall, and gets the ball out quickly for a first-drive touchdown. It’s an excellent example of him not panicking under heavy pressure and punishing the defense with quick recognition.
- Dropback 7 → On 3rd-and-9, Lions in Cover 1 man. Bears run a bench concept to the strong side. Loveland is slow to separate, so Caleb moves off him quickly and takes the shorter route underneath in the bench concept. It picks up 7 yards, but they’re short of the sticks. This is a tough play — if he hangs on to Loveland and makes a tough throw, they might convert. Instead, he comes off too quickly and settles.
- Dropback 9 → Lions in Cover 3 zone. Caleb’s first read is Odunze on an out route. He anticipates it well and delivers on time with strong accuracy for a first down. Exactly what you want to see in rhythm against zone.
- Dropback 10 → Play-action versus Cover 2. The Lions take away everything downfield, so Caleb checks it down for a short gain. It’s a smart play; no forcing it, just taking what the defense gives.
Quarter Analysis
Caleb was decisive and comfortable. He showed progression ability, good anticipation, and poise under pressure, highlighted by the touchdown on Dropback 6. The main issue was leaving big plays open, such as the backside slant on Dropback 2 or the missed YAC throw on Dropback 4. Overall, it was a good start.
Second Quarter
Quarter Overview
This was Caleb’s best stretch. He processed cleanly, handled pressure with composure, and threw with anticipation. One poor decision; a bad interception attempt, this was the lone blemish on an otherwise excellent quarter.
Key Dropbacks
- Dropback 11 → Lions in Cover 2 zone. Caleb’s first read is covered, his second read is Moore on a stop route wide open for a first, but he turns it down. His third read is a crosser, also covered. He steps up in the pocket with good awareness and finds his fourth read, the RB on a Texas route, open for a likely first down. He makes the throw, but it’s batted at the line. It’s impressive that he got all the way to his fourth read and stepped up with awareness, but he needs to take the earlier throw to Moore.
- Dropback 12 → Six-man pressure with Cover 1. Caleb diagnoses it quickly, gets the ball out to his first read on a stop route, and hits it with strong anticipation for a first down. Exactly the right process and timing.
- Dropback 14 → Lions in Cover 2 zone. Moore runs a stop that pulls both safeties, Zaccheaus runs a crosser that pulls a linebacker away, and Odunze is breaking free on a deep stop in the middle. Caleb sees it, but pressure comes fast, and he gets hit before he can throw. He escapes, breaks the pocket, and then just chucks the ball up. It’s intercepted. Hopefully, it was a throwaway attempt, but it’s a dangerous, poor decision.
- Dropback 16 → Play-action against Cover 1. Odunze runs a Out route, gets separation, and Caleb delivers it for a 20-yard gain. Sharp execution, timing, and placement.
- Dropback 19 → Bears run play-action fake toss right, Caleb rolls left. He shows patience, forcing the flat defender to commit, then puts the ball on Odunze for a touchdown. It’s a perfect example of him putting a defender in conflict with his legs and making the right throw on the move.
Quarter Analysis
Caleb showed maturity in this frame. He read through progressions cleanly, anticipated throws well, and punished pressure. The lone mistake was the intercepted desperation throw, but his ability to hit plays like the rollout touchdown in Dropback 19 showed growth and poise.
Third Quarter
Quarter Overview
The Bears went away from the run, and pass protection began to falter. Caleb was forced to take on more responsibility and faced increased pressure. He made some good plays with his legs, but also left throws on the field and showed rookie panic in clean pockets.
Key Dropbacks
- Dropback 21 → Lions in Cover 3. Caleb’s first read is Odunze on a crosser, and he’s open for a big gain. Caleb turns it down, steps up in the pocket, and looks to his checkdown, but it’s not available. He then checks Moore on a dig, covered. Finally, he scrambles for 9 yards. He showed great pocket movement and good scrambling ability, but missing Odunze early left yards on the field.
- Dropback 23→ Quarters coverage. Caleb checks both deep routes, both covered. Pressure comes up the middle, he escapes, keeps his eyes downfield, but nothing opens up. He takes off for 5 yards. Solid play, but if nitpicking, you’d like to see him process coverage quicker and find his open checkdowns.
- Dropback 25→ Cover 1 man with six-man pressure. Odunze runs a 15-yard out. Caleb diagnoses it correctly and makes the throw decisively, but his arm is hit as he throws. Incomplete. The right read, undone by poor pocket space.
- Dropback 26 → Lions in Cover 2 zone. Loveland is wide open on a stop route to the left, but Caleb doesn’t see it or turns it down. Moore is also open on a stop later in the progression. Caleb panics in a clean pocket, loses his footing, and throws the ball at Moore’s feet. Bad pocket awareness from Caleb here; turning down easy completions and creating a negative play in a safe situation.
- Dropback 27 → Cover 3. First read Loveland on a slant, open, turned down. Second read a dig, covered. Third read a RB wheel, open, turned down. By the time he gets to his checkdown or scramble option, pressure closes, and he’s sacked. He worked through reads, but missing the slant early made the play tougher than it needed to be.
Quarter Analysis
Caleb’s processing was solid at times, but panic set in during clean situations. He missed layups (Dropback 26) and turned down open throws (Dropback 21, 27). Still, his ability to move in the pocket and extend plays shows why he’s a playmaker.
Fourth Quarter
Quarter Overview
Down late, the Bears needed explosive plays. Caleb delivered some of his sharpest throws of the day, but he also made costly mistakes under pressure.
Key Dropbacks
- Dropback 31 → Cover 3 zone. Caleb holds the safety with his eyes, Odunze runs a filthy stop-and-go, and Caleb hits him for a big gain. This is high-level QB play with patience and anticipation.
- Dropback 32 → Lions in Cover 2 man. First read Moore on an in route, he wins, and Caleb puts it right on him for 9 yards. Clean rep, sharp execution.
- Dropback 33 → Six-man pressure with 2–3 zone behind it. The Bears have six blockers,and should pick this up, but a rusher comes free through the C gap. Caleb has no one open and lobs a desperation throw while being hit. It’s intercepted, but he’s bailed out by a roughing the passer penalty. A terrible decision masked by a flag.
- Dropback 34 → Cover 2 zone. Bears run mesh with Burden open on a crosser. Caleb has it, but throws it at his feet. Bad miss.
- Dropback 35 → Cover 1 man. Odunze runs an out route and wins. Caleb shows anticipation and timing, hitting him cleanly. It sets up a rushing TD on the next play.
Quarter Analysis
Caleb flashed NFL-ready anticipation and confidence (Dropbacks 31 and 35) but also made a poor panic throw under pressure (Dropback 33) and missed a routine completion (Dropback 34). It was a rollercoaster, but one that showed both growth and rookie lapses.
Technical Takeaways
- Processing Speed
Consistently worked to the third and fourth reads, great to see for a young QB. But he sometimes got off his first reads too quickly, leading to harder situations.
- Pocket Presence
The majority of the time, Caleb moved well and scrambled effectively, but panic set in during clean pockets at times(Dropback 26). Needs more trust in protection because it has been good so far this year. I expect that as the year goes on, his PTSD from last year will go away.
- Accuracy and Footwork
Anticipation throws were excellent when confident. Under duress, his mechanics broke down, leading to misses like Dropback 34.
Final Thoughts
Caleb Williams’ week 2 performance was way better than I expected before I dove into it. He showed growth in processing, accuracy on rhythm throws, and poise under pressure. He still showed some mistakes: missing some easy completions and forcing desperation interceptions. The talent is undeniable. With more stability and experience, the flashes already on film can become a consistent production. I’m excited for Caleb to prove everyone wrong.
If you liked this I will be posting a All-22 review every week this season!
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