In Caleb Williams’ rookie season, he suffered a league-high 68 sacks. Sacks were a killer for this Bears offense all year. One thing that slipped under the radar, given the less-than-encouraging sack numbers last year, was how well Caleb Williams performed against the blitz.
Brian Flores is the known as the king of blitzing due to the insane amount of times his defense blitzes. Caleb Williams last season had 340 yards passing. He was 32-47, and threw for 2 passing touchdowns against blitzes. Ironically Caleb Williams is at his best when he needs to escape pressure, not when he lacks pressure.
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That notion has continued so far this season. Bears Wire writer Mike Pendleton dives deep into Caleb’s performance against the blitz in a recent article. Here are Pendleton’s thoughts on Caleb’s play when the pressure is on:
“In Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Williams appeared to have been under a ton more pressure compared Week 3’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, but he still excelled. Through the first four games this season, Williams has thrived when defenses bring a blitz. According to Next Gen Stats, Williams has the highest pass touchdown-interception ratio (6:0) and passer rating (136.3) vs. the blitz this season. When opponents are bringing the most pressure, Williams is thriving, and the game film proves that. Even more so, Williams has used his legs a lot more compared to his rookie season, which limits him having to make desperation throws or plays and hurt his statistics.
“The stat is even more eye-opening when reflecting back on last season when the Bears offensive line allowed 68 sacks on Williams in his rookie year. But with new head coach Ben Johnson and an upgraded offensive line, Chicago’s quarterback has thrived.”
Caleb’s best assets are his escapability and his playmaking. Defenses play right into his hands when they draw up blitzes. This has been an exciting development to watch, given the previous quarterbacks’ tendency to look like deer in headlights against the blitz.
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Ben Johnson will get the Bears’ playmakers open quickly all game, and regardless of the pressure, Caleb will buy himself enough time to get the ball to his guys. That is a recipe for disaster for any defense that has to face this offense. This is a big reason why many were excited about the Caleb and Ben Johnson pairing coming into this season.
The Bears’ offense seems to be hitting their stride, just in the nick of time to save their season. The Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson duo could bring a Bears offense that has yet to be seen in this team’s history.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: As Caleb Williams develops for Bears, he is sharper versus blitzes