Pro Football Focus has been a controversial site for several years. In many ways, the data it collects is incredibly useful for helping football fans better understand the sport. On the other hand, its reputation is hardly what you would call glowing. Many have called the company out for being deeply flawed in its perception of the game, often trying to use math to illustrate impossible situations without proper context. It’s felt for some time that PFF was losing credibility in the eyes of many. That breaking point may have finally arrived, and Caleb Williams was the catalyst.

Sunday was a special one for Chicago Bears fans. Their team put up 59 points on the Carolina Panthers, the highest total by the team’s offense in franchise history. Williams was at the center of it, combining for 334 total yards, 2 passing touchdowns, and 2 rushing touchdowns. He even completed 72% of his passes, which was a hot topic all spring and summer. One would think this got him a pretty good grade from PFF, right?

Nope. His 64.6 offensive grade ranked him 14th among starting quarterbacks in Week 1. The backlash was immediate and virulent. Not just Bears fans but many in the national media were shocked and outraged by the revelation.

PFF didn’t need long to realize it screwed up with Caleb Williams.

While the website has given plenty of shaky takes on their grades over the years, this is the first time it has sparked genuine outrage. So bad that PFF almost immediately put out an article defending its position, insisting the grade was about more than just the box score. Multiple throws by Williams earned negative marks, which affected the grade. People immediately fired back that such an explanation made no sense since several of his “incompletions” were throwaways and his near-interception came on a free play after a Carolina Panthers penalty.

Even Sam Monson, a former Pro Football Focus employee, raised serious questions about the grade.

It’s just further proof that PFF is trying to gaslight people into thinking there’s so much more intricacy to their grading system. In reality, it reeks of a bunch of dudes trying to whittle nuanced situations down to a single number. That is impossible, since none of them has any clue about the quarterback’s responsibilities on every snap. Other rating systems keep it simple. Completion percentage, TDs, and INTs affect the outcome. No measuring accuracy or other nonsense. This is why Caleb Williams finished #1 in the league with a 94.8 total quarterback rating.

Trust your eyes, not the data.

Numbers lie. They lie all the time. That is because humans manufactured them, and they’re dragged down by personal bias and other subjective factors. In situations like this, you need to trust what your eyes tell you. Almost every single person who watched that game on Sunday came to the same conclusion. Williams was outstanding. He made big plays every time his team needed them and didn’t commit any egregious errors all day. Anybody saying he actually didn’t play well is nitpicking for attention.

If that is PFF’s new model, then be sure to lower your respect for them accordingly. We fans may not spend all day crunching numbers, but we know just as much about what good football looks like as the math nerds. Williams played a great game. He was the primary reason the Bears scored 59 points. It’s fine if you don’t like it, but don’t try to denounce the performance with a nonsensical grading system.

So many people were entertained on Sunday watching Caleb Williams and the offense drag the Carolina Panthers defense up and down the field for 60 minutes. Of course, it started with Bears fans, who have never seen an offensive explosion of this magnitude in franchise history. The media certainly couldn’t argue it was easily the most impressive display of firepower to start the season. However, those who perhaps enjoyed it the most were the Chicago Bears‘ defense.

It wasn’t about the scoring itself. Sure, that was great. What made it particularly delectable was knowing that another defense finally got to feel the pain the Bears’ defenders had all summer in training camp. Adam Jahns of CHGO caught their reactions.

“I’m happy to see that somebody else got a taste of it,” cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said.

“The defense, we knew what they were capable of,” rookie safety Dillon Thieneman said. “We go against them every day, but just to see what the (offensive) line and Swift and what Caleb were doing, it was incredible.”

It just didn’t end.

“It was amazing for real,” Stevenson said. “It’s different watching them than going up against them in the offseason and kind of getting hit with the same things: explosive runs, explosive plays, Caleb making plays with his legs.”

There were reports throughout August of the Bears offense making consistent plays in practice. Colston Loveland would torch Dillon Thieneman. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden would take turns torching Tyrique Stevenson. Nobody was immune to it. Ben Johnson had built a well-oiled machine. Now the defense gets to watch others experience the pain for once.

The Chicago Bears defense is certainly in an unfamiliar position.

For decades, that side of the ball has dictated the organization’s success. When you look back at every time this team has made the playoffs in the Super Bowl era, it’s almost always been because the defense was great. Not anymore. Almost overnight, the Bears have become an organization driven by offense. The unit emerged last season to crack the top 10 in both points scored and total yards. They were the reason the team made the playoffs and beat Green Bay in the wild card round. It’s gotten to a point where defense is optional for this team.

That probably doesn’t sit well with players on the other side of the ball. The defense knows it plays a critical part in helping this team chase a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, that won’t happen with performances like the one on Sunday. The Chicago Bears allowed 37 points, with quarterback Bryce Young throwing for 361 yards. Most alarming about it was the breakdown in the secondary. Chicago’s pass rush had 22 pressures, but it didn’t matter because guys struggled to cover Carolina’s receivers. Stevenson was at the heart of it. Even Jaylon Johnson struggled.

There is good news.

For one, the Bears got some encouraging performances from their draft class. Thieneman led the team with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Cornerback Malik Muhammad had a big interception and forced a 4th down incompletion against Tet McMillan. The pass rush showed up, as mentioned above. It’s also important to remember the defense isn’t at full strength. Safety Coby Bryant hasn’t debuted yet because of the knee injury he suffered in training camp. His return will absolutely help. Maybe Kyler Gordon will as well. If the Bears can stabilize the secondary, this defense should perform much better.

Besides, it’s not like they need to be perfect every week. For the first time in ages, they actually have time to make corrections and find their groove. They know the offense is fully capable of carrying the load. The defense doesn’t have to stop the opponent every time. Just enough times. This team is capable of scoring 30 every week. History says you’ll win a lot of football games that way, whether the defense is great or not.

The Chicago Bears‘ offense was really good last season. It finished in the top 10 and did so many things well. However, it always felt like something was just a little bit off. Most chalked it up to it being the first year in the system. Guys weren’t quite locked in yet. That would take time. However, there was another explanation that didn’t really get much attention when it probably should’ve. That was the lack of a presence at the slot receiver position. Head coach Ben Johnson said even before the season that the ball tends to “find the slot” in his offense. That is why Amon-Ra St. Brown feasted in Detroit. However, the Bears’ attempts to replicate it with Olamide Zaccheaus fell flat. Enter Kalif Raymond.

Chicago signed Zaccheaus because his skill set seemed to fit the slot perfectly. That is why he logged over 50% of his snaps there. The problem is that he couldn’t catch the ball consistently, finishing the year with 6 drops. That is probably why the Bears started moving D.J. Moore inside more often as the season progressed. Raymond’s arrival changes everything. You saw why in the opener against Carolina. His mixture of speed, quickness, route-running, and steady hands was a huge difference-maker.

Not only did he lead the team with 84 yards, but five of his catches went for 1st downs.

Kalif Raymond has brought the missing ingredient.

Think about this. The Carolina Panthers completely shut out Colston Loveland. You would think that would’ve gone a long way to stopping the Bears after what we saw last season. Instead, they still hung 59 points on the scoreboard. A big part of why was that Raymond kept making key catches to keep the offense on the field. Remember, Zaccheaus had 16 catches for 1st downs in 2025. Total. Raymond matched almost a third of that in one game. The value of this really showed up in the second half.

The game was tied 31-31 in the 3rd quarter. Most of last season, the Bears struggled to pull away because they couldn’t sustain drives. This time, they scored four consecutive touchdowns. Kalif Raymond was a vital reason for this.

Drive #1

• Converts 3rd and 5 with 12-yard catch
• Converts 3rd and 5 with 7-yard catch

Drive #2

• Throws a timely block to spring Kyle Monangai for a 61-yard TD

Drive #3

• Makes 4-yard catch to set up 3rd and short

He wasn’t always the focal point of the attack, but he always found ways to make things a little easier for the offense. First, it was by moving the chains. Then it was by being a blocker. These were things Zaccheaus couldn’t really offer last season.

That signing may go down as one of the best of the offseason.

Most people just shrugged when the Bears brought Raymond in. It made sense. He was a veteran who had considerable experience playing in this offense. Still, they were skeptical about what impact he could have. After all, Raymond finished with just 289 yards last season. Maybe he’d be a solid #4 wide receiver behind Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Jahdae Walker. It didn’t take long to realize Johnson had far bigger plans for him than anybody realized. If anybody knew Raymond had more to offer than the stats indicated, it would be the Bears’ head coach.

Raymond may not be St. Brown. That doesn’t matter. What the Bears needed was somebody they could trust to play consistently from the slot. All they have to do is run the right routes and catch the ball. The system is good enough to take care of the rest. Raymond did exactly that on Sunday and the offense was unstoppable. He doesn’t need to be the star. He only has to keep things moving long enough for the stars to make the big plays happen. Johnson knew what he was doing.

The Carolina Panthers made several decisions that were certainly logical on Sunday. Chief among them was gearing their entire defensive game plan around stopping tight end Colston Loveland from getting the football. It worked. The budding star was left without a catch. However, that seemed to come at the cost of everything else. The running game went crazy, and seven different receivers caught passes. While everybody was preoccupied with the offensive onslaught, it was easy to miss another Panthers strategy that was deployed in the game. They purposely kicked away from Zavion Thomas all day.

Chicago had their 3rd round pick on the field as a return man for kickoffs. That is hardly surprising after he scored three touchdowns in college. Apparently, Carolina was aware of that, too. They had no intention of letting him touch the football. Of the six kickoffs made in the game, two were touchbacks, and cornerback Josh Blackwell, the other returner on the field, received four. It was one of the few strategies the Panthers used that worked as intended. It also likely served as a lesson for the Bears.

Other teams are sure to avoid Zavion Thomas, too.

They aren’t dumb. They saw his speed on full display last month when he torched Tennessee with a 99-yard touchdown reception. His speed is of the elite tier. Combine that with good vision, and you have the makings of a great return man. The Bears should know. They saw the same thing with Devin Hester. Like before, teams are already seeking ways to avoid letting him touch the ball. That means Chicago’s coaching staff must start looking for ways to give them no other choice.

Perhaps the first solution would be putting another credible return option on the field. With all due respect to Blackwell, that has never been his strength. Kalif Raymond has long been a great return man with previous teams. Putting him back there alongside Zavion Thomas would force opponents into a tough decision. Get the ball to a guy who for sure knows how to scorch you, or take your chances on the explosive rookie. Another possibility is crafting plays that see Blackwell get the ball to Thomas.

The Bears are taking a familiar approach with Thomas.

It may seem unusual that the team didn’t get him more involved on offense. However, it shouldn’t have been. We saw last season that Ben Johnson prefers to bring rookies along slowly during a season. You saw it with both Colston Loveland and Luther Burden last season. Neither really got going until the second half of 2025. Johnson would sprinkle them into games, getting them vital experience. Once he was confident they had a good grasp of their responsibilities, he took the leash off.

Thomas is likely getting the same treatment. Don’t forget he missed the first two preseason games due to an injury. He is likely behind others in terms of understanding his responsibilities on offense. It may take a couple of weeks for that gap to close. Until then, he will remain their primary return man. The good news is the Bears don’t need his help just yet. They have plenty of firepower. They can afford to take their time until they’re sure he is ready.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has spent the past 18 months trying to hammer it into Caleb Williams’ head about improving his completion percentage. Getting it to 70% is the goal. All the great quarterbacks hover around that mark. Why? Mostly because it helps the team win more often. Williams didn’t really succeed at that goal last season, finishing at 58.1%. So this offseason was spent improving it. There was some progress in training camp, but Johnson wanted to see more. That was when a Hall of Famer came to his aid.

In the days leading up to the opener in Carolina, Williams met with the broadcast team. It featured Bulls announcer Adam Amin and former quarterback Drew Brees. The New Orleans Saints icon and holder of multiple passing records knows plenty about completion percentage. Seven of his career seasons ended at 70% or above. One of them was his Super Bowl-winning year in 2009. He decided to give Williams some advice on how to improve in that area. It came via a simple stat.

The difference between 60% and 70% in a game is three completions.

If Williams can find just three extra completions each week, it will make the offense so much better. The Bears quarterback finished the opener 21-of-29, good for 72% on the day. Johnson admitted on Monday that Brees’ words stuck more with Williams than even he expected.

Caleb Williams looked in total control.

Make no mistake. The young quarterback still showcased his aggressive mentality, taking several deep shots downfield against Carolina’s defense. His willingness to attack tighter windows was certainly on display in the touchdown to Cole Kmet and the 47-yard bomb to Rome Odunze. However, lost amidst the offensive onslaught was how poised Williams was in the pocket. There were multiple moments, as Johnson pointed out, when the first read wasn’t available. Normally in those conditions, Williams would’ve left the pocket and tried to create something.

Not this time. There were a handful of moments where he either went to his second read on the play or checked it down. Each time led to a positive gain, keeping the offense ahead of the chains. This wasn’t a vintage Caleb Williams game. It was more like a blend of Williams and Brees. When thinking about it like that, it’s no wonder the Panthers couldn’t stop it. Brees was impossible to defend in his day. Imagine what it would’ve been like if he could also run.

Williams’ most important trait is on display.

That is his willingness to learn. Many young players wouldn’t want to hear any advice from legends. Those guys are the past. It’s my time now. I’ll do it myself. Not Williams. He is smart enough to know “those guys” were successful for a reason. The best thing you can do is get as much information as possible from them. That is why Williams has peppered guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers with questions. His ego isn’t so big that he won’t admit he doesn’t know enough.

While Brady may have given him great advice on what it takes to be a champion, Brees seems to have told him about how to become a more efficient quarterback. It was something Johnson knew he couldn’t really offer since he never played the position at the NFL level. He saw everything from a coach’s perspective. Sometimes you need another quarterback to help point the way. Brees managed to do in a single meeting what the coaches couldn’t over the past year.