Caleb Williams is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Atlanta. He tore his hamstring in the Sept. 20 game and has missed the past three games, according to Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams. ESPN reported that he is questionable after three days of practice. It said the quarterback himself described several hurdles he must clear before he could face the Falcons.
The practice reports are encouraging. Windy City Gridiron's Lester Wiltfong Jr. wrote that Williams logged a third straight full practice, and Yahoo Sports' summary of that report said the Bears got some good news on their injury report. The same report has four Bears ruled out. The feed summaries we have don't name those players. They also don't say what the remaining hurdles are, or when a decision on Williams will come.
Williams was hurt in the Sept. 20 game against Minnesota, where he went 15 of 26 for 138 yards with an interception and was sacked three times for 20 yards. He also ran five times for 42 yards. That makes him a limited sample this season. He has played two games, completing 36 of 55 passes (65.5%) for 407 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He has been sacked five times and has run 15 times for 107 yards and two rushing touchdowns. The best of those games was Week 1 at Carolina on Sept. 13: 21 of 29 for 269 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and two more rushing scores.
The rushing is relevant because he is returning from a hamstring tear. He has averaged 7.1 yards per carry this season, and his 2025 season included 77 carries for 388 yards. The reporting we have doesn't say whether the Bears would change his role on designed runs if he plays.
Chicago is 3-2 and third in the NFC North. It has lost its last game, 31-7 at Green Bay on Oct. 11, after beating the Jets 23-12 on Oct. 4 and Philadelphia 27-7 on Sept. 28. Our data doesn't show who started in Williams' absence.
Atlanta is 2-3 and second in the NFC South, also coming off a loss, 30-23 to Baltimore on Oct. 11. Wiltfong's report adds that Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. practiced fully all week after leaving his last game with a rib injury, so both starters appear on track.
Sun, Oct 18, 1:00 PM ET
The Bears-Falcons game is Sunday, Oct. 18. Williams' status will come down to how he is feeling in pregame warmups, and the Bears' official designation will settle it.
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