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Caleb Williams becomes first No. 1 overall QB to win rookie debut since 2002

Wade-Peeryby: Wade Peery09/08/24
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Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks that are selected in the top of the NFL Draft are usually put in extremely difficult situations because of the weapons and players surrounding them. That’s a big reason why it can be extremely difficult for a No. 1 overall pick to win early in their career. But the Chicago Bears surrounded Caleb Williams with one of the best situations a rookie QB could ever dream of.

And on Sunday afternoon, the Bears defense carried Williams after he had a brutal outing in his debut. The Bears’ defense and special teams unit had two touchdowns on Saturday, fueling them in their comeback after they were down 17-3 at halftime. Chicago won the game 24-17 and, in the process, allowed their No. 1 overall quarterback to make some history.

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He became the first No. 1 overall QB to win his rookie debut in the National Football League in over 20 years (since 2002).

Caleb Williams struggled mightily with accuracy issues in his NFL regular season debut, completing 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards, while tossing in zero touchdowns, zero interceptions. He was also sacked twice. On the ground, he had five carries for 15 yards.

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He’ll have a tough matchup next week, going up against CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football.

Williams became USC’s single-season record holder for passing yards, touchdowns, and total offense in his first season with the Trojans back in 2022. He transferred in from Oklahoma alongside head coach Lincoln Riley and established himself as the best quarterback in college football with 4,537 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, 382 rushing yards, and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Williams, the No. 1 overall pick out of USC, was impressive in Chicago’s first two preseason games. He completed 10-of-20 passes for 170 yards and one rushing score, making a few highlight-worthy plays. Perhaps the play that best showcased Williams’ ability was the 45-yard dot he dropped in a bucket to rookie wideout Rome Odunze while on the run this past Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

On3’s Matt Connolly and Nick Geddes also contributed to this article.