Caleb Williams hasn’t beaten a fellow member of the 2024 draft class yet. He lost to Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye last year, then J.J. McCarthy in the season opener. He will have his second crack at Daniels on Monday night in Washington. Plenty of people don’t like his odds. The Commanders are a tough team, guided by an excellent coach. Williams will have to play a near-perfect game to pull it off, especially with the questionable staff of both the rushing attack and the defense. That is asking a lot of a young quarterback.
However, there could be one factor in his favor. Former NFL tight end Clay Harbor pointed it out. Washington plays the third-most zone coverage in the NFL through the season’s first month. It hasn’t helped as they’re surrendering 11.8 yards per completion while doing so. This is pretty significant for Williams. So far he’s shown vast improvement against zone coverage this season, averaging 11 yards per completion with a 3-to-1 touchdown-interception ratio.
vs. Man
- 15-of-20
- 192 yards
- 2 TDs
vs. Zone
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- 56-of-87
- 620 yards
- 6 TDs
- 2 INTs
Washington can’t rely on last year to stop Caleb Williams.
Their zone-based approach worked well in last season’s meeting, holding the rookie to just 10-of-24 for 131 yards. They sacked him three times and forced a fumble. Undoubtedly, they hope Chicago’s rushing woes will open up opportunities for Dorance Armstrong and Von Miller to get after Caleb Williams. Whether that works depends on what sort of plan head coach Ben Johnson has in mind to counter it. Washington intercepted Jared Goff four times in their last encounter with his offense, though they still surrendered 31 points. One can bet Johnson is eager for revenge.
Everything depends on how well Williams can weather the storm. Washington loves pressuring you into making mistakes. They did it to the Chargers last week. The Bears’ offensive line must step up to the challenge. If they can give their quarterback adequate time, he’s proven he can find holes in zone coverage.
