Minnesota Must Put Caleb Williams in His Place

Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images.

When the Chicago Bears landed the first overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, they quickly zeroed in on Caleb Williams. Despite a polarizing personality, the USC Trojans product was seen as a generational talent. However, things have not gone well, a mixture of his own fault and a byproduct of his employer. That must continue on Sunday.

Minnesota Must Put Caleb Williams in His Place

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has started Caleb Williams in all ten games. The results have translated to a 4-6 record and the firing of their offensive coordinator. It’s not solely the fault of the quarterback when looking at a win-loss record. That said, it’s clear that Williams hasn’t been a difference-maker either.

Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images.

There was a pompous level of arrogance on the stage during draft night, and Williams quickly told his fellow rookie punter that the team wouldn’t need him much. Instead, Williams has thrown for just over 2,000 yards on 61% passing. He has just nine touchdowns and has thrown five interceptions. Chicago brought in talented wide receivers and drafted Rome Odunze in the first round. None of that has mattered.

A quarterback would certainly not fix all of the Bears’ problems, and Eberflus may be chief among them. Williams could be better off with help up front as well. He has taken a league-high 41 sacks and lost a whopping 278 yards. He’s also coughed up the ball four times.

Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center on July 25th, 2024. Flores was hired in February 2023 to take over for Ed Donatell after Minnesota finished 30th in points allowed.

It’s fair to criticize the play of Sam Darnold as well. He has led the Vikings well but has put them in bad spots with untimely interceptions. Darnold has benefitted from a much better supporting cast and a competent defense. It’s that Brian Flores-led defense that should feast on Sunday. Williams has shown that he is ripe for the picking all season, and adding to his sack total is a must.

It would be awesome to see both Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel get home. The latter had a pair of sacks against Tennessee, and he continues to trend positively toward Defensive Player of the Year consideration. Greenard has been a metrics master, and he has also shown up in the box score on his own plenty.

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images.

Chicago is the final divisional foe for Minnesota this year. They split with the Packers and Lions, but adding another NFC North tally to the good side of the ledger would be great. Last season, the Vikings went to Soldier Field and won. This time, they can do it again and welcome Williams to the show.

Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.