The first Thanksgiving game is a pretty fun one, with the rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions adding another chapter. This is a good one to start the day off with, especially as the food is still getting cooked. A nice way to start the day with some football and chatting with family. What I would be on the lookout for is the Bears’ offense against this Lions’ defense that’s playing at a really high level.
Ever since Bears’ offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired, it feels like rookie QB Caleb Williams has morphed into a completely different player. He’s playing quicker (average time to throw of 2.42 seconds in weeks 11 and 12, compared to his season average of 2.8 seconds), scrambling more (averaging five scrambles per SIS over the last two weeks, compared to two through weeks one and ten), and shown more of what we saw of him while he was at USC. It’s what we all were waiting for when he got to the NFL, and despite not leading to many wins yet, he looks much more comfortable in the flow of the game. Despite the loss to the Minnesota Vikings in overtime, I thought Williams had a really good game, with some high level stuff in there. Let’s hop into it and see what he did so well.
I think Williams has looked much more confident throwing the ball downfield and showcasing some of the liveliness in his arm. Interim OC Thomas Brown has made it look like the passing game has been more open, and Williams has been the beneficiary of that. There’s some high level throws mixed into this tape, stuff that I’m glad Williams is getting the chance to show off. I really like the confidence to take this throw, but let’s dissect it and see where Williams was right and wrong.
So this one was fun because WR DJ Moore was lined up in the backfield. They send him into burst motion and play action a run with him. From here we get a post by the outside receiver and an out route by Keenan Allen. Williams is looking to get this ball to Allen, but LB Andrew Van Ginkel is dropping into this window. Where I think Williams goes wrong is in the timing of this throw. If you look from the endzone angle, you can see that this play probably comes open a little earlier than Williams lets this ball go. However, this is in here because having the arm audacity to make this throw is pretty freakin’ neat, if you ask me, Williams whipping this throw in there shows off some sick arm talent, the thing that Bears fans can get excited for.
He also did this, a very nice throw within the process. The Vikings are spot dropping to Cover 3 after showing a blitz at the line of scrimmage. What I love about this throw by Williams is the ball placement, keeping this one on the back shoulder so Allen is protected from a big hit by the single safety. He might’ve been able to let this go a little earlier but I still like the process much better than what Williams has shown in previous weeks.
Williams also had some really high level chaos throws, the ones that we saw from him at USC. The things that we thought he would bring to the NFL, but were seemingly suppressed in hopes of proving he’s a pocket passer. Since Waldron was fired, Williams has been more willing to do more of the outside the pocket things that he’s used to doing. This was a peak NONONONONONONONONONOYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES play from Williams, escaping the pressure and finding D’Andre Swift on a 40 yard gain. I’m not sure how truly sustainable this is, but it’s refreshing to see Williams get back into this part of his arsenal at the NFL level. Through the first half of the season, it felt like Williams was trying to constrain himself to the point of not playing like himself. This looks like USC Caleb Williams, and that’s pretty cool.
This one to keep the Bears going on their final drive before overtime was my favorite throw of the day by Williams, an absolute rip on a dig route that made for a chunk play. One of the first things you learn in football is that the dig is always open, and the Bears ran it really well out of a three-man concept. You get two over routes to clear out the middle of the field, and WR DJ Moore comes in on a dig. Look at the confidence that Williams shows throwing this thing into a tight window. This, this right here is the good shit.
While Williams wasn’t perfect (he took a BAD sack in overtime and had a few weird misses downfield), the fact that he’s playing with a bit more freedom should be a welcome sign for Bears fans. This was the guy you would hope to see, flashes of the electrifying playmaking combined with some really goofy stuff as well. Williams’ ability to create and extend plays will be put to the test on Thanksgiving against a Detroit defensive line that is full of ass kickers. Lions’ DT Alim McNeill was rewarded with a big extension midseason, and he’s backed it up in a big way. Against the Colts he was darn near unblockable, finishing with two pressures, a forced fumble and a holding penalty drawn. McNeill has ascended to be one of the better DTs in the game, and on Thanksgiving you need to look out for big number 54, especially when paired with DT DJ Reader.
McNeill’s power is simply absurd, being able to generate force in such a monster way. He introduces poor number 68 to the turf in a crazy show of power, getting a pressure and forcing an incompletion. Look at how he’s able to get his hands inside on the guard and just drive him into the turf. That’s a grown ass man, man.
McNeill also drew a holding on a critical fourth down that kept a big play off the board for the Colts. He treats this right guard like a blocking sled again, hitting him with a bull rush then finishing with a swim move that draws a holding penalty. He’s 13th in ESPN’s Pass Rush Win Rate for defensive tackles, and you feel it when he’s on the field.
Reader came over to Detroit from Cincinnati in free agency, and his play when healthy has helped put the Lions at seventh in the NFL in EPA allowed per rushing attempt. Watch him discard the right guard here and get involved on this run play.
While the Lions haven’t really been able to replicate the sheer pressures of star EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, getting McNeill and Reader to be Detroit’s BeBop and Rocksteady has been really cool, and crucial to their defensive success lately. They get a really favorable matchup against a Bears’ OL that is questionable to say the least. Keep an eye out for those two on Thursday.
