Bears encouraged by QB Caleb Williams' growth in Week 2 loss - ESPN

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears exited Week 2 with major questions about their defense after giving up 52 points to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Lost in the blowout that marked Chicago's (0-2) second NFC North loss in six days, however, was improvement from quarterback Caleb Williams.

In his second game under coach Ben Johnson, Williams threw for 207 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while completing 63.3% of his passes. The Bears have scored a touchdown on the offense's opening possession in back-to-back weeks, something that did not happen during Williams' rookie season.

«I did see significant growth,» Johnson said. «It's not perfect yet. There's still a number of plays where our eyes aren't quite in the right position or we're holding onto the ball just a tick longer than what we're coaching. But I did see tremendous growth in terms of going through the progression. There were a few times there where we had to get to number three or four in the read and he was trusting his feet and his footwork and was able to get there.»

Williams was at his best on in-rhythm dropbacks, where he released the ball between 2.5 and 4.0 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats. Williams completed 14 of his 21 attempts for 191 yards and two touchdowns on such dropbacks, compared to 5 of 9 for 16 yards and an interception on quick or extended pass attempts.

The former No. 1 pick connected with receiver Rome Odunze on both of his touchdown passes, bringing their total to three through two games. While there are several areas that both Johnson and the quarterback felt he needed to improve — like throwing the ball out of bounds in the second quarter instead of trying to fit a throw down the sideline to receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, which