Caleb Williams’ promising start to the season, which had fans excited about the future, took an unexpected turn after a strong first half against the rival Minnesota Vikings.
The same fans who praised the quarterback’s new attitude were furious with his second-half performance, flooding social media with criticism and labeling him a bust for the franchise.
Caleb Williams Doesn’t Hold Up to Strong Start Against the Vikings, Leaving Fans Disappointed
Chicago has struggled with quarterbacks for decades, always searching for a new face of the franchise and failing to find the right one. With Williams, fans hoped they had finally found who they had always been looking for, and the hype around his draft selection was massive.
The debut that seemed to be going well against Minnesota ended with the Bears giving up a comeback to their rival, who scored 21 points in the fourth quarter with a strong performance from J.J. McCarthy, who bounced back and finished the game with three touchdowns.
Naturally, fans reacted with fury. Watching the quarterback who was supposed to pull the franchise out of the basement lose another divisional game in such fashion was the breaking point. One fan commented that he no longer believes Williams can be the guy for the franchise.
Caleb Williams isn’t the guy. Missing throws, wide open receivers, miss-reading defenses…outshined by essentially a rookie QB. 86.6 passer rating, 60% completion percentage. Not good
— JG32 (@32JG32) September 9, 2025
“Caleb Williams isn’t the guy. Missing throws, wide open receivers, misreading defenses… outshined by essentially a rookie QB. 86.6 passer rating, 60% completion percentage. Not good,” he wrote on X.
Williams’ numbers were not as alarming as they might seem. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown, thrown in the fourth quarter, along with 58 rushing yards and another score.
Even so, in the second half, the offense lost rhythm, and Williams missed open receivers, failed to make the best reads, and looked rushed in the pocket, contributing to his dip in accuracy and fueling criticism from fans.
Caleb Williams how are you a quarterback with the shittiest accuracy ever
— shifty (@theshifty034) September 9, 2025
Other fans said they didn’t see growth, but the same flawed player making poor decisions like in 2024.
One fan posted on X: “Caleb Williams looks the exact same as last year! No growth, I regret getting a Caleb Williams jersey. I regret becoming a fan of this team.”
Caleb Williams looks the exact same as last year! No growth, I regret getting a Caleb Williams Jersey. I regret becoming a fan of this team. #BEARSFOOTBALL
— Nicholas Braun (@DarthNick66) September 9, 2025
The pressure has never been higher for Williams. Now with Ben Johnson as head coach and playcaller, everyone expects improvement and something closer to the explosive, dynamic, efficient offense he ran with the Detroit Lions in 2024. Despite the expectations, the way the game ended left a bad feeling.
Caleb Williams is actually horrible anyone who thinks he has any chance of being a franchise QB is braindead.
— Ant (@antb__21) September 9, 2025
As one of the NFL’s biggest franchises and without a Super Bowl since the 1985 season, there is far less patience with Williams than other quarterbacks might get.
Caleb Williams needa hang it up man
— LilJay00 (@1luljaayy) September 9, 2025
His second year will be decisive in defining his NFL future, and in Week 2, the team will face the Detroit Lions on the road in another divisional matchup.
It will be an essential measure of Williams’ resilience, showing whether he can shake off the previous result and keep displaying what he showed in the first half, which Peyton Manning even praised during the broadcast. The clock is ticking for Williams, and the time to produce is now.