Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams confirmed he tore his hamstring in Week 2. He said he does not know whether he will play Sunday at Atlanta. Pro Football Talk reported that he has had two full practices this week as he works back from the injury.
ESPN framed the practice work as a milestone: it was his first full participation since Sept. 18. ESPN also reported that he still has to go through protocols. CBS Sports' Carter Bahns reported that Williams practiced fully on consecutive days but said he has not yet been cleared to return to game action. The Associated Press, via Sportsnet, led with a more optimistic angle: Williams feels ready to test the hamstring against the Falcons. The outlets agree on the practice status. They differ in tone. The AP says he feels ready, while ESPN and CBS stress that clearance is still pending.
CBS also gave the story a second thread. Its headline carries Williams responding to critics after the injury with the line "My character's been attacked." The feed summaries we have don't say who the critics were or what was said, so we can't add detail on that.
Our data shows what the Bears have been playing without. Williams' last appearance was Sept. 20 against Minnesota, where he went 15 of 26 for 138 yards with an interception, took three sacks for 20 yards, and had a fumble he recovered. That was the game in which he was hurt, per the Week 2 timing in the reporting, though the sources we have don't describe how it happened. In two games this season he has completed 36 of 55 passes for 407 yards, with two touchdowns, one interception and five sacks. He has also run 15 times for 107 yards and two scores. Most of that came in Week 1 at Carolina, where he threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and added two rushing touchdowns.
The Bears are 3-2 and third in the NFC North. They have lost their last game, 31-7 at Green Bay on Oct. 11. They beat the Jets 23-12 on Oct. 4 and the Eagles 27-7 on Sept. 28. The Bears have not scored more than 27 points in those last three games, and the quarterback's availability is the main open question in this game.
The Falcons are 2-3 and second in the NFC South. They have lost one straight, 30-23 to Baltimore on Oct. 11, after beating New Orleans 45-24 and Green Bay 35-14 in their previous two games. That makes Atlanta an offense that can score, and it adds to the weight on Chicago's quarterback decision.
Sun, Oct 18, 1:00 PM ET
Kickoff in Atlanta is Sunday, Oct. 18. Williams said he has not been cleared, so the next step is the protocol sign-off ESPN described. The reporting we have gives no final decision.
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