How pre-snap penalties and a subpar run game threaten to harm Bears QB Caleb Williams even more

After another offensive performance landed with a thud Sunday night, Bears receiver DJ Moore stood at his locker and grimaced.

“We’re building the puzzle together,” he said. “Until we get that puzzle complete, it’s going to be an up-and-down road.”

Asked what was missing, Moore was diplomatic, saying the Bears needed to be consistent and penalty-free. Tight end Cole Kmet — who said “it’s only Week 2, so I don’t want to freak out” — wants the team to focus on cohesiveness. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams pointed to the lack of execution as the culprit.

“I feel like we’ve had this talk for a few years now,” said Kmet, a lifelong Bears fan, after Sunday night’s 19-13 loss to the Texans. “We understood this would be a process a little bit. We’ve got a lot to work on.

“The reality of the NFL is kind of hitting a little bit for us offensively.”

Here’s the reality: the Bears’ offense has been caught in a nasty riptide that threatens to damage, if not injure, Williams.

“I’m a little bruised up,” Williams said.

Coach Matt Eberflus called the former
No. 1 pick a “very tough person and very resilient” on Monday. That’s a compliment to the rookie and ultimately damning of the people paid to block for him.

“He won’t have to be the tough guy or anything like that if we establish the run,” left tackle Braxton Jones said after the game.

The Bears can’t run the ball consistently — only four teams average fewer rushing yards per game than their 77.5. They can’t stop committing offensive penalties, either — they have the fourth-most pre-snap penalties and the most delay-of-game penalties in the NFL.

Those two factors put Williams in obvious pass situations — and in danger — on second and third down. He has faced second-and-11 or more 10 times this year and third-and-11 or more five times.

“You can’t live in that world where you’re third-and-eight-plus all the time and we’re relying on Caleb to make a throw on every single one of those downs,” Kmet said. “That’s tough stuff to do in the NFL.”

When teams pin their ears back to rush the quarterback, the Bears can’t stop them, and Williams isn’t experienced enough to successfully improvise. The rookie has been sacked nine times, tied for the most in the NFL, and on 12% of his dropbacks, which is the second-highest percentage in the NFL.

Sunday night was particularly ugly. Ten different Texans players pressured Williams a total of 36 different times, per NFL Next Gen Stats. As a team, the Texans put pressure on Williams on 23 of 48 dropbacks. Williams had, on average, 2.59 seconds to throw in Week 2 — only five quarterbacks had less time.

“When you’re able to run the ball and move the ball and stay ahead of the chains, you don’t get those types of pressures,”
Eberflus said.

That starts with new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who is working with run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Morgan, a holdover from last year. Asked about Waldron on Monday, Eberflus said he had “total belief” in the offensive staff.

“We’re always working to solve problems and get better every single week,” he said.

Here’s a big one: running back D’Andre Swift, who got a three-year, $24 million contract from the Bears in March, is averaging two yards per attempt. Only the Cardinals’ Trey Benson has averaged fewer.

Here’s a potential solution: the Colts, Sunday’s opponent, has given up a league-high 474 rushing yards through two games.

“I think [running] is big for us,” Kmet said. “I think to me that’s part of the identity here, not only as an organization — you look at how it’s been throughout the years here. I think that’s something you want to lean into.

“It’s something we got to get better at, too.”