Bears' QB Caleb Williams' first 20 NFL games obliterate Hall of Famer Troy Aikman's
Caleb Williams appears to be evolving right before our eyes. Not that the Chicago Bears' second-year quarterback is suddenly trending toward Canton ... or is he?
In Monday night's thrilling comeback win over the Washington Commanders, Williams ran for a touchdown and threw for 252 yards and another score. He also completed a clutch third-down pass to keep alive Chicago's game-winning drive that set up Jake Moody's field goal for the 25-24 victory.
During the game, however, ESPN MNF analyst Troy Aikman didn't sound too impressed with Williams or the Bears. He often complained about the quarterback's inaccurate ball placement, pointed out that Williams made the wrong read on D'Andre Swift's 55-yard touchdown catch, and attributed the win to "luck."
Bears fans - and Williams himself - trolled Aikman on social media for his criticism.
"It’s fun, fun trolls," Williams explained. "I was messing around. Yeah, D’Andre made a great play and obviously he had some stuff to say about us or me and, I mean, we came out victorious in the end. Made a little fun moment of it. That was about it."
The pseudo-feud - which may or may not have stemmed from Williams not connecting with Aikman for their scheduled pre-game production meeting - has Bears fans obviously choosing their side. One user on social media decided to compare the NFL career starts of Aikman and Williams.
To be fair, Aikman was on a Dallas Cowboys team that went 1-15 in 1989. He wound up winning three Super Bowls and enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He went to six Pro Bowls and won 10 of his first 11 playoff games, achievements Bears fans can only dream Williams duplicates.
After a slow start in the first two games, Williams is now on pace for 4,008 passing yards. More impressively, he remains the NFL's best quarterback against the blitz, completing 24 of 43 for 389 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions under heavy pressure.
For what it's worth, Williams' first 20 games obliterate Aikman's. The Bears' quarterback owns huge advantages in every major passing category, including touchdown-to-interception ratio: 27-7, compared to Aikman's 14-31.
Weird that Aikman would become the Bears' Public Enemy No. 1 during their three-game winning streak, but whatever works.
Denver Broncos Win Back-To-Back AFC Defensive Players Of the Week
The Denver Broncos have assembled the best defensive line in the entire NFL. They currently lead the league with 30 sacks, and are on pace to shatter the record set by the Chicago Bears in 1984. The Bears’ record was 72 sacks in a single season, and the Broncos are set to beat that record by more than ten sacks.
Broncos Defense Can’t Be Stopped
Nik Bonitto won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week last week, and Jonathan Cooper won the award for the Broncos in the second straight week. Bonitto single-handedly
Jonathan Cooper had two sacks on Justin Fields, along with a tackle for a loss. Cooper had the game-winning sack on Fields
The starters have done an amazing job all season long, but the second unit has also stepped up. Eyioma Uwazurike, Dondrea Tillman, and Jonah Elliss have really stepped up in their roles, making Vance Joseph’s job very easy. Joseph has been able to show different blitz packages and design different schemes, confusing the quarterback.
Defensive Line Is Built Well For Years
George Paton has done an incredible job building this defensive line for the future, and he does not have to worry about paying any of his players. Bonitto is set to become a free agent in 2030, while Zach Allen and Cooper are set to become free agents in 2029. They’re trying to take advantage of Quarterback Bo Nix being on a rookie contract, going all in on other position groups to make a run at a Super Bowl.
Denver is currently on pace to set a record for team sacks in a single season with 85. Pairing this with an elite secondary has created one of the best defenses in franchise history. Entering Week 7, the Broncos have allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL, behind the Houston Texans, who’ve allowed just 61 points this season.
The more impressive part of their defense is that they’ve had an immense amount of success without some of their top players on defense. They’ve been without Dre Greenlaw for the entire season, although there is a chance he returns this week against the New York Giants. Getting Greenlaw back will help with stopping opposing running backs and containing tight ends.
The Broncos’ run defense got a much-needed boost last week in London with Maclom Roach returning from a calf strain. Roach plays a huge part in stopping the run and gives Vance Joseph another weapon in his arsenal.
