Love him or hate him, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams certainly can draw a crowd. That was evident on Sunday night when the Bears welcomed the Buffalo Bills to town for a prime-time preseason matchup. The Bears easily defeated the Bills 38-0 in their first preseason shutout since 1994, but all eyes were tuned in to FOX to see what Williams would do in his first game under new head coach Ben Johnson.
According to FOX Sports PR, Sunday night’s game drew in 5.1 million viewers. It was the most-viewed preseason game since 2021, when they broadcasted the Hall of Fame game, the first preseason game in nearly two years due to COVID-19. Viewership was up 11% compared to last year’s standalone preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers.
Even with the Bills sitting reigning MVP Josh Allen and the vast majority of their starters, this game was appointment viewing, with so many people curious as to how Williams would look in his first preseason action. The second-year quarterback delivered with an impressive outing, going 6-of-10 for 107 yards and a touchdown during the first quarter.
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TTime will tell whether Williams and the starters will see action on Friday night in their preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. If this was it for Williams in the preseason, though, he made sure to shine in front of a large audience on national television.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Bills preseason matchup earns record TV ratings