NFL
Why isn’t Caleb Williams playing for the Bears in the preseason game against the Chiefs?
Matt Eberflus’ team have impressed during the preseason but face their toughest test tonight as guests of the current NFL champions at Arrowhead.
The Bears and the Chiefs conclude their respective preseasons in Kansas City this evening, with both having experienced mixed results. Matt Eberflus’ team are unbeaten in three outings and looked strong in their victories over the Bengals (27-3), Bills (33-6) and the Texans (21-17).
Bear unbeaten, Chiefs without a win
They will face their toughest test of the summer as guests of the current NFL champions. Defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City have yet to win during the preseason - they suffered a 26-13 defeat on the road at the Jacksonville Jaguars and were beaten 24-23 at home by the Detroit Lions.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid will rest his starters in this evening’s final preseason exhibition game, telling reporters, “Sometimes the ones get a lot of reps during camp practices. Let’s get these [the backups] some more reps here. Then when we’re getting ready to cut down, get a little better feel on those guys in a game situation.”
Eberflus happy with Williams’ display against Cincinnati
Eberflus has a similar gameplan in mind, and is expected to rest rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in April’s NFL Draft. Williams ended Sunday’s game against the Bengals going 6-for-13 for 75 yards, with a passer rating of 64.8, and a 7-yard touchdown run. “What I thought Caleb did really well was he had a nice professional day at quarterback,” Eberflus reflected afterwards. “It’s not always going to be rosy, you’re not gonna make all your completions and make all these chink plays to start out. I saw operation that was good, before the snap, in an out of the huddle, really good communicating. Overall, I thought it was a good day, a lot of learning - we’ll look at the tape and get better from this”.
So we will see both coaches field their second string Thursday night with Williams’ and the Bears’ other starters next in action in season-opener against the Tennessee Titans on 8 September. Three Bears players: Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard and Patrick Scales remain out, listed as questionable. Eberflus and Reid have the next five days to whittle their rosters down to 53 players ahead of the 27 August deadline.
This evening’s game between the Chiefs and the Bears will take place on GEHA Field Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday 22 August, kicking off at 7:20 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live the Chicago Bears Official App and FuboTV.