If the Chicago Bears' Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions was any indication, Caleb Williams didn't learn much from the Bears' preseason slip-and-slide drill.
Chicago's starting quarterback took a freaky-looking hit from Lions linebacker Jack Campbell while running for a first down in the third quarter, prompting concern and confusion from fans—who wondered why Williams didn't slide or get out of bounds faster instead. The moment itself was pretty unsettling; Williams's knees fly out to the side as Campbell dives into his hip. The rookie was seemingly alright and went on to throw a touchdown right after, but a resulting injury could have been season-ending. Maybe he tried to slide, but if that's the case, it definitely didn't go the way he wanted. Or perhaps, as some fans have speculated, he was trying to juke and then slipped. Moreover, he was just yards away from a first down ... should he have been sliding in the first place?
Watch the wild moment here:
Caleb Williams just got folded like a lawn chair💀pic.twitter.com/Fm7GNRKnPZ
— Ryan Knows Ball (@RyanKnowsBall) November 28, 2024
Of course, viewers had plenty to say about the situation as they debated whether or not Campbell's tackle was a dirty move.
I have no idea why Caleb Williams didn’t try to go out of bounds here. All he gained was an extra yard, and his season nearly ended.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 28, 2024
pic.twitter.com/tXmIG9sMLO
Did Caleb Williams just slide when he was a half yard away from a 1st down? lol
— Justin Miller (@justinmmiller27) October 27, 2024
This is why folks coach sliding.
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) November 28, 2024
Caleb Williams 0️⃣/🔟 pic.twitter.com/FbffkBu263
caleb williams has to man up on that play and not slide and go to the marker. #Bears
— Steven Muehlhausen (@SMuehlhausenJr) November 28, 2024
How is this dirty? Idk what Caleb was even doing but he was still in bounds and he’s a runner so it’s fine they hit him. https://t.co/YGxQHj1Mwx
— Justen Gammel (@gamscout) November 28, 2024
People saying that it should have been a flag, but Caleb Williams should have just went out of bounds or slid sooner.
— Grace (@gracesporttakes) November 28, 2024
Caleb Williams HAS to learn how to slide
— Ashlie (@EMT_Ashlie) November 28, 2024
shouldn’t blame the lions player for this hit…he doesn’t know if Caleb is going out of bounds or giving himself up and neither does Caleb. He typically does a good job getting down or going out but he didn’t right here https://t.co/qz9eHqUri7
— SDub (@Savy2Smooth) November 28, 2024
Refs swallowed the whistle https://t.co/prxwEBrmji
— Daniel Darling (@dandarling) November 28, 2024
Overall, it was a game full of wild moments and calls, including Bears coach Matt Eberflus's baffling time management at the very end. Detroit walked away with the win, 23–20.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caleb Williams Worries Fans With Reckless Decision Leading to Big Hit in Bears-Lions.
