CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams was always in awe watching Calvin Johnson make those highlight-reel catches in triple coverage for the Detroit Lions. Over time, something else also stood out to him.
“I got a little older and kind of realized how good Matthew Stafford is at his job,” Williams said.
Williams knows he can learn a few things from a quarterback such as Stafford, and he'll get an up-close look when the Chicago Bears host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in a game matching this year's No. 1 draft pick against a two-time Pro Bowl selection with a Super Bowl ring.
Chicago (1-2) tries to get back to winning after losing two in a row, while the Rams hope to build on last week's thriller over San Francisco.
Coming off a 31-point loss at Arizona, Los Angeles (1-2) rallied from 14 down in the second half and trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter before squeezing out a 27-24 win.
The Bears, meanwhile, have not won since they beat Tennessee in the opener at Soldier Field. Their revamped offense has not performed the way they envisioned, though Williams at least showed progress last week in a 21-16 loss at Indianapolis.
The former Heisman Trophy winner out of Southern California set a Bears rookie record with 363 yards passing and his first two touchdown throws.
Now, he'll go against a quarterback who has thrown for nearly 57,000 yards over 16 seasons with Detroit and Los Angeles. Stafford's resume includes a Super Bowl championship in 2021, his first season in Los Angeles.
“I think there’s a lot of respect for the toughness, the competitiveness of Matthew (and) the ability to always stay in the fight,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “Some of the different things in terms of how he’s beating you with his ability to be able to manipulate coverage through his eyes, understanding how to try to move defenders that are visual on him to open up and expand windows, you heard (Houston's C.J.) Stroud talk about that as well.
"I just think it’s the mastery of some of the finer things about the position that those who play it really appreciate and understand.”
Williams certainly notices.
“He controls the game as a quarterback,” he said. “He knows how to get in and out of things efficiently. He knows where people are going to be. He knows where the defensive players are going to be, so he can move them on a string.”
The Bears could take some of the load off Williams by getting their run game going.
Chicago had 63 yards on 28 carries against Indianapolis. That's down from 71 at Houston the previous week and 84 against Tennessee in Week 1.
Chicago is averaging 72.7 yards rushing, second-lowest in the NFL, after finishing second a year ago. Their leading rusher against the Colts was Roschon Johnson, with 30 yards after missing the first two games with an injury. D’Andre Swift, signed to a three-year deal, has just 68 yards and is averaging 1.8 per attempt in his first season in Chicago.
The Rams are feeling good about their offense after an upset victory over San Francisco without their top two receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
Stafford completed only 16 passes against the Niners, and no receiver had more catches than Tutu Atwell’s four. Los Angeles will attempt to get Demarcus Robinson more involved after he had just one catch. Kyren Williams could be more involved as a receiver out of the backfield after his three-TD day against San Francisco.
Williams has been sacked 13 times already this season behind a struggling line, and the Rams have a pair of budding pass rushers eager to add to that total while chasing a quarterback renowned at USC for his ability to extend plays.
Byron Young has two sacks and four tackles for loss so far in his sophomore NFL season, while rookie Jared Verse has four tackles for loss and one sack — and he would have a few more if he had finished a handful of plays after breaking through to apply pressure. For all the promise of that pass-rushing duo, the Rams have only four sacks as a team this season, fewer than all but two teams.
Williams could have all his top targets available with receiver Keenan Allen returning to practice this week.
The six-time Pro Bowler has been sidelined since the opener because of a heel injury. He caught four passes for 29 yards in his Chicago debut.
Allen is part of a potentially dangerous trio with DJ Moore and rookie Rome Odunze, who had his first 100-yard game last week with six catches for 112 yards and a TD.
The Rams have won three straight against Chicago — all in Los Angeles since a loss at Soldier Field in 2018. In 2021, Stafford made a triumphant Rams debut against the Bears, throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
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