Caleb Williams made a good first impression in his official preseason debut Saturday during the Chicago Bears' tilt against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Williams, who did not appear in the Bears' 21–17 win over the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame game last week, led Chicago's offense for two drives in the first half. Both possessions ended in points, and Williams threw for 95 yards on 4-of-7 passing—good for a 101.8 passer rating.
Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, completed his first pass of the day on a 12-yard strike to DJ Moore to move the chains on a third-and-12, and the very next play he shoveled a quick pass to D'Andre Swift, who ran for 42 yards before being tackled in the red zone.
Didn't take long for some Caleb Williams magic 😱
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The Bears had a first-and-10 from Buffalo's 18-yard line, but three straight Khalil Herbert runs didn't move the chains, and kicker Cairo Santos booted a 31-yard field goal for a 3–0 lead.
After the Bills went three-and-out, Williams trotted out back on the field to conduct another drive that started at Chicago's 3-yard line. At one point in the possession, the Bears gained a first down on three straight plays—a 15-yard connection from Williams to receiver Keenan Allen, a 14-yard run by Herbert and a 26-yard rope to tight end Cole Kmet, which was the rookie's best throw of the day.
On the connection with Kmet, Williams was under pressure as he rolled to his right. He pump-faked, threw on the run and found the tight end streaking toward the sideline. First down, Bears.
Caleb Williams is MONEY on the run.
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Williams led Chicago into the red zone once again before the drive stalled, and Santos booted another field goal through the uprights for a 6–0 lead.
Tyson Bagent took over the Bears' quarterbacking duties from there.
After a successful preseason debut, Williams will have another chance to showcase his talents next Saturday when Chicago hosts the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Caleb Williams Fared in First Preseason Test As Bears Quarterback.
