There was no defender in the frame when Caleb Williams pulled up. Rolling to his left on first-and-goal with 7:27 left in the fourth quarter, the Bears trailing by three, he stopped mid-stride, slid onto his knees behind the line and reached for his right leg.

Williams let out an audible yell and was helped to his feet before a cart carried him from the field to the locker room. He briefly pulled a towel over his head, then lifted it to give a thumbs-up to the crowd.

Chicago ruled him out with a hamstring injury. The final score, Minnesota 9, Chicago 3, sent the Bears home from the Sunday, 20 September fixture at 1-1.

No defender in the frame

Head coach Ben Johnson’s first fear was worse.

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“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee. That was my first inclination, but the hamstring could be pretty damaging as well,” Johnson told reporters. “We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow, and we’ll go from there.”

Johnson said Williams was “in good spirits” afterwards, and the quarterback was seen walking through the locker room without crutches. Before he went down, Williams had completed 15 of 26 passes for 138 yards with an interception and added 42 rushing yards on five carries.

Bagent falls short at the 12

Tyson Bagent replaced Williams and nearly stole a game Chicago had been losing all afternoon. The backup went 5-of-9 for 54 yards, driving the Bears into the red zone before being sacked on fourth-and-2 from Minnesota’s 12-yard line to end the game.

Johnson had reason to believe in his No. 2 even before he was thrust into the fourth quarter.

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“I do think there is a lot of merit to having a strong No. 2 quarterback, which he certainly fits that bill,” Johnson said of Bagent. “I’m of the mind that he’s probably one of the best 32 in the NFL.”

Bagent went 2-2 as a starter in 2023 and is the alternative if Williams cannot answer the bell in Week 3.

Bears bank on a Grade 1 strain

Williams is scheduled for an MRI on Monday to establish the severity. NBC’s Mike Florio reported the initial hope inside Halas Hall is a Grade 1 strain, the mildest classification, defined by minimal tearing of the muscle fibres.

Even that best-case outcome may not clear him for Monday night. Florio noted that “even if it’s only a Grade 1 strain, it’s possible he won’t be ready to go in eight days, when the Bears host the Eagles on Monday Night Football.”

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The Bears host Philadelphia on 28 September in Week 3.

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