All eyes were on the Bears' offense after they loaded up, drafting Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze and trading for Keenan Allen to join D.J. Moore for what should have been an electric passing attack.
Instead, the offense laid an egg to open the season but was bailed out by an incredible defensive and special teams performance to rally from a 17-0 hole for a 24-17 win. They scored both of the team's touchdowns, first on a blocked punt recovered in the end zone and then a 43-yard pick-six by Tyrique Stevenson to give Chicago its first lead of the game.
While Sunday’s result was obviously important, everyone knew Williams’ performance was what would make headlines.
He had a ton of helium heading into the season and was the most popular quarterback to go over his total passing yards with 83% of the public backing him to exceed 3,475.5 yards. He was favored to win Rookie of the Year at +130 and also had the shortest odds of any rookie to win MVP over the past 15 years at 40-1
Perhaps the hype was too much.
It’s only one game – and Week 1 overreaction hot takes are an annual NFL tradition – but to say Williams disappointed would be an understatement. He completed 14-of-29 attempts for just 93 yards with no touchdowns for a 55.7 passer rating. He was also sacked twice, including an awful one in which he spun backward to avoid the rush before eventually being taken down for a 19-yard loss. As a result, the supposedly electric offense totaled a paltry 148 yards in its debut. They averaged only 2.8 yards per play and 11 first downs.
Williams’ Rookie of the Year odds fell as a result, but not a drastic amount. He’s still favored at +175 at DraftKings ahead of Jayden Daniels (+400), Bo Nix (+750), Marvin Harrison Jr. (+850) and Xavier Worthy (+1200).
