Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' smart running style in his big game in London: 5 takeaways

When you throw four touchdown passes in a nationally televised game in London, you can forget what you're doing with your legs on the ground.

But Caleb Williams fails to throw a short touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet on a route they adjusted together before the game when he doesn't run the ball the way he did Sunday against Jacksonville Jaguars did.

The two longest gains on the Chicago Bears' 10-play, 85-yard scoring drive in the second quarter were scrambles by Williams.

On the Bears' first-and-10 of the 26th minute, Williams escaped for a 23-yard gain before sliding to midfield. His second run was a 19-yard run to the Jaguars' 2 on second-and-7 from the 21. He included a pump fake before running and then sinking his shoulder into cornerback Montaric Brown near the goal line. On the next play, Williams hit Kmet for his second touchdown.

“That’s always an important part,” coach Matt Eberflus said Monday. “There are various quarterbacks in the league who can use their feet at a high level, but are also very precise passers. I think that’s a one-two punch that you get when you have an athletic quarterback.”

This is where the column begins with this week's five takeaways.

1. Williams' unique running style works in the NFL.

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron incorporated the read option for Williams into the Jaguars' game plan, and it worked twice. But in the first six weeks, Williams has shown how dangerous he can be.

Williams has shown he can quickly evade rushers in the pocket. His speed allows him to spin out of sacks and force defenders to block.

He can bounce around in traffic while keeping an eye on his progress and receivers. And then when he breaks the line of scrimmage, he can get around would-be tacklers and avoid contact by going out of bounds or slipping.

He did it in college, and now he's doing it in the NFL. Williams moves with feeling – with anticipation. He differs from other quarterbacks, including Justin Fields, who is faster. Williams just can't handle putting the ball away and trying everything he can get. He is methodical.

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When asked about Williams' running style, Eberflus mentioned his quarterback's experience as a running back in youth football and then joked that Williams also played linebacker.

“I need to check the details on that, but I’m definitely running back,” he said. “He is strong. He's a strong player in the pocket and he's strong in the open field. He has the ability to get you into position and then grab the edges, as well as being strong enough to escape if someone has him. He's hard to get. He’s done well so far.”

2. Keenan Allen can still do Keenan Allen-like things.

The veteran wideout had a quiet, unproductive start to the season. This included missing a touchdown catch in the opening game against the Tennessee Titans. He later missed two games due to a heel injury.

But Allen finally got his break in London, hauling in five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns. Four of his catches came on third-and-5, third-and-8, third-and-goal from the 9 (touchdown) and fourth-and-3.

His touchdown catches weren't gimmes either. On the first pass, Williams threaded his pass between two Jaguars linebackers for a back-shoulder catch in the end zone.

Damn throw from @CALEBcsw

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“We had different throws that we practiced,” Williams said after the game. “Getting the extra reps I think helps. Sometimes we get a few extra reps and things like that during a solo exercise or after training. I think it definitely helped. All the hard work and extra work we put in has been great.”

It's an example of the improving relationship between a first-year quarterback and a veteran receiver in his 12th season.

“He’s worked with a lot of different quarterbacks over the years and he’s done a really good job of adapting to those guys,” Eberflus said. “He runs a lot of different ways, different routes, and I think that’s something you have to learn. This makes it a hardcover because it runs a route in three different ways. So you really have to understand what he's doing there and the communication between the quarterback and him has to be there. I think the guys did a really good job of getting to know each other and learning how to do things differently depending on the coverage.”

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3. One of the best aspects of Williams' recent improvement is that he has distributed the ball to all of his best weapons on offense.

Every week there is a new storyline at Receiver. This week it was Allen and Kmet who each caught two touchdown passes. Last week against the Carolina Panthers, DJ Moore led the Bears in touchdowns and receiving yards.

A week earlier against the Los Angeles Rams, running back D'Andre Swift led the team in catches, touches and yards from scrimmage. In Week 3 at the Indianapolis Colts, rookie receiver Rome Odunze posted a team-best 112 receiving yards.

Understood?

Williams' success isn't a result of the fact that he only has a single receiver. The ball is shared. And it works. After six weeks, the Bears have five players with at least 15 catches.

“With the receiving room that we have, with the weapons that we have, running backs, tight ends, receivers, himself running the ball as a quarterback, I don't think you have to look at one person – in contrast to you, “A Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and the rest are just boys,” Allen told reporters in London. “No disrespect to those guys, but you got Justin Jefferson, you gotta get him the ball every damn play. We have people you can take the ball to.”

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4. Kyler Gordon is one of the Bears' best players and it would be difficult to lose him long-term.

Before suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday, Gordon made seven tackles, including one for a loss. His best play was overcoming a block by receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to stop tight end Evan Engram, giving him a 1-yard gain on third-and-3. After Williams was intercepted, it was a three-and-out for the Bears defense.

“(Gordon) had one of his better games, and he’s had a few,” Eberflus said. “He’s a special player there. The way he moves and deforms his body in different ways is why I nicknamed him Spider-Man. He is very dynamic there as a nickel. He is one of the best nickels in football. He’s a really good pressure player, good coverage player, good in the short area in terms of our zone or man concepts.”

5. The Bears' willingness to bench Nate Davis can be viewed as a positive if they want to.

Davis was not a backup in London. He was inactive. It's a telling development for a player the Bears have been trying to challenge since training camp. Veteran backup Bill Murray is now ahead of Davis on the depth chart.

“We felt like we played with eight (offensive linemen) that gave us what we needed for the game, and we were OK with that,” Eberflus said. “Again, I have to give Nate a big shout out. He was a professional. He’s done a really good job of staying committed and working every week and again, we’re going to need all of these players and they know that.”

Davis has a three-year, $30 million contract in the second season. The deal appears to be a bust for general manager Ryan Poles. And that's okay. All GMs have their faults. But the Bears don't let it become more than that on game days. Similar to the Chase-Claypool fiasco, sometimes it's best to move on and find answers elsewhere.

(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)