By Brandon Simmons
Caleb Williams Found A New Light?
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had a Sunday filled with lows and highs. The Bears lost the game on a blocked field goal in the final seconds, but it was his performance that many fans are hanging their hat on. Williams threw 23/31 for 231 yards – including 9 rushes forn70 yards – which helped the Bears score a couple of touchdowns for the first time in 3 games. The reason this is important, is that coming into this game, Chicago fired its offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and replaced him with passing game coordinator Thomas Brown. Williams took a lot of heat for this move, along with the organization. There were even reports of players wanting him benched.
The performance Williams put on Sunday probably doesn’t come off as spectacular as it should but it certainly was an encouraging watch after a week of negative headlines. Williams looked more quicker with his decision making, which allowed him to get the ball out fast, either through the air or using his athleticism to scramble for the first down. This would also cut down the number of sacks. Sunday’s performance from Williams was a win because there is something to build on for Williams’ success. He is the franchise QB and the Bears have to make sure they are setting him up for success in that role.
What Does the Chiefs Loss Mean?
The Kansas City Chiefs finally got taken down this year. Sunday, the Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Buffalo Bills 30-21. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns but also had 2 interceptions. Bills QB Josh Allen threw for 262 yards, 1 touchdown and a pick. He also ran for 55 yards, that included the go ahead touchdown run in the 4th quarter.
The loss just means that the inevitable happened sooner than later. The Chiefs are a great team but they have been in some close calls this year. Last week, they had to block a field goal to win the game against the Denver Broncos. This year, Mahomes is having a down season in terms of stats in addition to the offense dealing with multiple injuries. You would think that this would have a more drastic result for this team in the win-loss column, but Kansas City found ways to win games week in and week out. The defense has held things down throughout this unbeaten start but that could only go on for so long. Also, this loss might put into head of players of how certain bad things can not be swept under the rug. It’s easy to let mistakes linger at 9-0 , but as the postseason draws near, those same mistakes can lead to playoff exits. Going undefeated was not in the plans for KC and probably would have served as a distraction.
Daniel Jones Benched
The New York Giants have announced they are benching QB Daniel Jones for the forseeable future. This comes in the wake of…the Giants just being continually disappointing. At 2-8, and last in the NFC East, their season is completely over and probably the end of Jones in NY. The former first round pick has underwhelmed since being drafted in 2019. His best season was in 2022, when he went 9-6-1, leading the Giants to a playoff berth, which was also the first year that Brian Daboll was head coach of the Giants.
It was only a matter of time before Jones would start to see the end of his time with the Giants. In his whole tenure with New York he has never seen double digit wins. The Giants made the infamous choice of paying him a big contract before former Giant running back, Saquon Barkley, who is having a tremendous season. Sure, the QB market and RB market dictate 2 different things, but in this case the optics are going to show that the guy the New York Giants chose to pay over the guy they didn’t, is not performing to the bare minimum standards that is expected from such a big contract. Those optics are never going to over well with any fanbase. For Jones, he in the 2nd year of a contract, but best believe the Giants might have a way to get from under it when that time comes. As of right now, that time could be more of a possibility as the season ticks closer to a close.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson for his game winner in his first game back. Sunday, Richardson returned to the starting lineup from a 1 game benching. What resulted was a pretty good game from the young QB, who went 20 of 30 for 272 yards and 0 picks. He also ran for the game winning touchdown with 51 seconds left. A lot of talk about Richardson when he was benched, in regards to his development and, allegedly, his professionalism. However, this one game hopefully can be a sign that things are going in th right direction.
Shut out to the Chicago Bears just for the bittersweet luck that they have. Sunday, against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears were in position to kick the game winning field goal, but Chicago kicker Cairo Santos ended up missing the field goal. It felt like a wasted effort considering the offense put on a stellar show, which included Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams making some dynamic plays. Still, probably typical of…Da Bears!
Week 12 is here and you might be better off getting your travel plans implemented. The Green Bay Packers hosting the San Francisco 49ers, is one of the more potentially entertaining games this weekend. Niners just came off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks and now fighting for their playoff lives. The real game of the week should be the Los Angeles Chargers hosting the Baltimore Ravens. This will be the first coaching matchup with the Harbaughs since Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL this season. Both teams will go all out for their coaches so expect some fireworks. But until…I’ll holla.
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