The Chicago Bears’ Monday loss to the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football” was painful for the team’s fans, and quite painful for Caleb Williams.
Williams took some big hits in his team’s 30-12 loss. It started in the first quarter when Williams was hit on his blindside and lost a fumble. The Vikings recovered and were set up for a touchdown to increase their lead to 10-0.
Jonathan Greenard with the strip sack! @Vikings take the ball back.
📺: #CHIvsMIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/RLpDjRaUHf— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2024
Later in the game, Williams took a huge hit after spinning and scrambling, only to throw up an incomplete pass.
Everything about this angle of the play & hit on Caleb Williams in the 4th quarter is crazy pic.twitter.com/IKiRFg8AJK
— Football Digest (@FoootballDigest) December 17, 2024
The big hits Williams took in the game had ESPN analyst Troy Aikman saying that Williams looked “defeated.”
“As I watch him, you can tell he’s a defeated guy,” Aikman said.
Caleb Williams looks exhausted.
(via @ESPNNFL) pic.twitter.com/wvQAAly0Oo
— Marquee Bears (@BearsMarquee) December 17, 2024
The amount of hits Williams took on Monday night put him over 90 hits taken for the season, which is behind only Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. Some of the hits are due to him trying to extend plays or not getting his blocking set up properly, and some are due to the struggles of being a rookie on a bad team.
It all appears to be taking a toll on the former No. 1 pick. He said after the game that the hits were like being in a car crash.
“Say you get in three car accidents in a month, you’re going to feel it. That’s what a hit is in football. … You take those over an amount of time and it builds up,” Williams said.
Caleb Williams compares the hits he’s taken this year to getting in 3 car accidents in a month.
Get him protection immediately! pic.twitter.com/KtSIGRVHJI
— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) December 17, 2024
This is part of the growing pains a rookie quarterback often goes through, especially when they get drafted by a team that was bad enough to have the No. 1 pick. It’s been very clear that Williams is going through a tough time.
