Caleb Williams hadn’t had a multi-interception game since the playoffs last season for the Chicago Bears. That is what made his night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so bizarre. He ended up throwing 4 on the night, his worst as a professional. One would think the young quarterback would be chastened and humbled by the experience. Once again, Williams surprised people. While certainly disappointed by the results, the quarterback seemed almost defiant about this idea that everything was his fault.
Mind you, he didn’t dodge accountability. He admitted he didn’t play well enough. However, Williams wasn’t going to sit there and let all the blame settle on him. He did take ownership of one of the interceptions, but it feels like he had explanations for what happened on the other three.
“Two of them tried to be throwaways, one of them I made a dumb decision, and then the last one got tipped up in the air. You go back, look at it, and see what I could have done. On one, I could have just tossed the ball to Colston. On the last one to Luther, I got to juice it in there. I’m just trying to get the ball out and try to be the big eraser. That’s what I’ve been, that’s what I will be. I got to keep doing that, keep being the big eraser, and today I wasn’t.”
Is he just being naive and trying to dodge uncomfortable questions? The best way to answer that is to go through those interceptions to determine whether he is right or just trying to make excuses.
Caleb Williams interception #1
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This is the play Williams was referring to where he made a dumb decision. He sees Rome Odunze breaking free of his man but should know that the safety is lurking near the goal line. It’s not like the Buccaneers were hiding it. Yet Williams still made the reckless decision to throw it in there anyway, probably believing he had the arm strength to get it there. The safety makes him pay. That interception is 100% on him. It was a bad decision and a pass that should not have been thrown.
Interception #2
Tampa Bay delivers a well-timed blitz against the Bears’ minimal protection. Caleb Williams doesn’t have any time to set his feet and starts retreating. He knows he can’t take a sack. So he tried to launch the ball toward the sideline as he was about to get hit. The Bucs defender does a great job of keeping his feet in bounds while grabbing the ball. It is pretty evident that Williams was trying to throw it away and didn’t get enough on it. That isn’t surprising since he had no way to step into it because of the pressure—just bad luck.
Interception #3
This is the play in which Williams lamented that he should’ve thrown the ball to Colston Loveland instead. He is correct. The tight end is open as he hits the final step of his drop. Unfortunately, the pressure once again forces him into a tough decision. He likely figures there is enough open space towards the right sideline that he can throw it away. The problem is he doesn’t see cornerback Zyon McCollum lurking around the 45-yard line. He had enough speed to close the distance and dive for the interception—a mix of a small misread and a great play by Tampa’s defense.
Interception #4
Williams throws a quick shot here to Luther Burden, who’s running a curl route. There is nothing wrong with the pass. The accuracy is good, lined up directly with Burden’s outside shoulder. Buccaneers cornerback Jacob Parrish makes an outstanding play to get his arm in the way, deflecting the ball up in the air for linebacker Alex Anzalone to intercept. That one isn’t on Williams. He did what he was supposed to do. The defense made a tremendous play. Sometimes that happens.
This is probably why the quarterback didn’t seem at all perturbed by what happened. Williams seemed to chalk it up as one of those occasional games that doesn’t go your way. He’s had such performances before, from high school to college. Now he had one in the NFL. It won’t change the way he plays.
“I’m going to throw until I can’t throw anymore. That’s how I live. I work my tail off to be in this position. I’ll never not throw the ball. I could throw 100 picks in one game. If it comes down to it, I’m going to throw that pass that I did to [tight end] Colston [Loveland], or if it’s [a] tighter window, I’m going to rip it in there. That’s how I grew up. That’s who I am. I don’t get gun shy. That’s not me, that’s not my identity, that’s not who I am. With that, I’m going to keep grippin’ it, keep rippin’ it, and Coach calls it, it’s time to go make a play.”
Caleb Williams said weeks ago that he isn’t a pick guy. That is not who he is. Time has proven that correct. What you saw Sunday night was most likely an aberration. It was a perfect storm of iffy decisions, bad luck, and a great defense coming together at once. Don’t expect him to change who he is because of one bizarre night.
