The first Thanksgiving games were a lot of fun; chicago bears and detroit lions Add another chapter. This is a great way to start the day, especially since the food is still cooking. A great way to start your day by playing soccer or chatting with your family. What I want to focus on is the Bears offense against a Lions defense that is playing at a very high level.
Ever since Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams feels like he's transformed into a completely different player. He is playing faster (average pitch time of 2.42 seconds in Weeks 11 and 12 compared to his season average of 2.8 seconds) and making more scrambles (in Weeks 1 and 10). An average of 5 scrambles per SIS in the past 2 weeks compared to the previous 2 weeks). And showed us more of what we saw about him while he was at USC. It's what we were all waiting for when he came to the NFL, and he looks much more comfortable in the flow of the game, even though it hasn't translated into many wins yet. Despite losing, minnesota vikings In extra time, I thought Williams played a really good game with a high level of content. Let's dive into it and see what he did well.
I think Williams looked like he was throwing the ball downfield with more confidence and showing more active arm movement. Interim OC Thomas Brown has made the passing game look more open, and Williams is benefiting from that. There are some high-level throws on this tape, and I'm glad Williams got the chance to show them off. I love the confidence with which he can take this throw, but let's break it down and see what Williams did right and wrong.
So, this time it was interesting because WR DJ Moore was lined up in the backfield. They send him into burst motion and perform running actions with him. From here we get a post by an outside receiver and an out route by Keenan Allen. Williams is trying to deliver this ball to Allen, but LB Andrew van Ginkel falls into this frame. What I think Williams is wrong about is the timing of this throw. From the angle of the end zone, you can see that this play probably started a little earlier than Williams gave up this ball. But the reason this is here is because the audacity of the arm to make this throw is pretty amazing, and if you ask me, for Williams to hit this throw there shows off some awful arm talent. This is something Bears fans can get excited about.
He also did this. It was a really great pitch in the process. The Vikings are spotted down to Cover 3 after showing some blitz near the line of scrimmage. What I like about this pitch from Williams is the ball placement. We put this pitch on his back shoulder so that Allen is protected from a big hit by a single safety. He could have let this go a little earlier, but I still like a much better process than what Williams has shown in previous weeks.
Williams also had some very high-level chaotic throws like the ones we saw at USC. We thought he would bring to the NFL, but it seems like he was held back in hopes of proving he was a pocket passer. Since Waldron was fired, Williams has been more active in the outside pocket work he had been doing. This was Williams' peak NONONONONONONONONONONOYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES to to the play, as he escaped pressure and found D'Andre Swift for a 40-yard gain. I don't know how truly sustainable this is, but it's refreshing to see Williams return to this part of his arsenal at the NFL level. Throughout the first half of the season, it felt like Williams was trying to restrain himself from playing like himself. This looks like USC Caleb Williams, which is pretty cool.
This pitch, which gave the Bears their final drive before overtime, was Williams' favorite pitch of the day and was an absolute rip on DeGroot on a chunk play. One of the first things you learn in football is that digs are always open, and the Bears did that very well with their three-man concept. Get two over routes to clear the middle of the field and WR DJ Moore comes in with a dig. Look at the confidence Williams is showing to throw this issue into tough situations. This is the good part.
Williams hasn't been perfect (he got sacked badly in overtime and made some odd mistakes downfield), but the fact that he's playing with a little more freedom is a welcome sign for Bears fans. There should be. This was the guy you wanted to see, with flashes of shocking playmaking combined with some really goofy elements as well. Williams' ability to create and extend plays will be tested on Thanksgiving against a Detroit defensive line full of ass-kickers. Lions DT Alim McNeil was rewarded with a big extension midseason and backed it up in a big way. Against the Colts, he was nearly unblockable, finishing with two pressures, a forced fumble, and a holding penalty. McNeil has risen to become one of the best DTs in the game. At Thanksgiving, you should be looking at the big number 54, especially when combined with the DT DJ Reader.
MacNeil's powers are completely ridiculous as he can generate power in such a monstrous way. He put his poor No. 68 on the grass, put him under pressure with a crazy show of force, and forced an incomplete burn. Look at how he can get his hands inside the guard and just drive it to the turf. That's a grown ass man, man.
McNeil also kept key fourth downs to keep the Colts' big plays off the board. He once again treated this right guard like a blocking sled, hitting him with a bull rush and finishing with a swim move at the end, drawing a holding penalty. He ranks 13th in pass rush win percentage among defensive tackles on ESPN, and you can feel it when he's on the field.
Reeder came to Detroit from Cincinnati in free agency, but his play when healthy helped the Lions rank seventh in the NFL in EPA allowed per rushing attempt. Watch him dump right guard here and get involved in this run play.
The Lions haven't been able to replicate edge star Aidan Hutchinson's tremendous pressure, but having McNeil and Reeder on Detroit's Bebop and Rocksteady was really cool and has been extremely creditable to their recent defensive success. It was important. They have a very favorable matchup against a Bears OL that is questionable to say the least. Keep an eye on these two on Thursday.
