Bears QB Williams Exits With Hamstring Injury; Tests Monday — SkimNews
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- Caleb Williams suffered a right hamstring injury midway through the fourth quarter of the Bears' 9-3 loss to the Vikings on a first-and-goal bootleg where he had a clear path to the end zone, then was helped off the field and carted to the locker room.
- Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel denied making contact with Williams, saying postgame he 'dove, missed' him; coach Ben Johnson called Williams 'in good spirits' but said MRI results Monday will determine severity.
- Backup Tyson Bagent replaced Williams and drove the Bears into the red zone on the final possession but threw two incomplete passes from the 12 and was sacked on the last play when Dallas Turner beat tight end Colston Loveland.
- The Bears' offense collapsed from a 59-point Week 1 output against Carolina to just 3 points — a 56-point drop-off, the second largest game-to-game swing in the Super Bowl era, as Minnesota blitzed Williams on 78% of his dropbacks.
- Johnson expressed relief Williams avoided a knee injury but noted 'a hamstring can be pretty damaging as well,' while teammates including Malik Mueller and Braxton Jones said Williams walked through the locker room under his own power and projected optimism.
- Williams has a relevant injury history, having played through a left hamstring issue during the 2022 Pac-12 championship at USC and started the Cotton Bowl the following week.
Why it matters: Williams' diagnosis Monday will dictate whether the Bears face the Packers with their franchise QB or turn to Bagent, whose late-game execution drew praise despite the loss. A hamstring injury to a mobile quarterback carries cascading risk for an offense that already dropped 56 points from its Week 1 explosion, and Chicago now sits 0-1 in the division with injuries and self-inflicted mistakes compounding.
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