Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is planning to return from a hamstring injury and start Sunday at the Falcons, according to ESPN and NFL Network. Their sources say the Bears intend to start him after he missed the past three games. Adam Schefter is credited with the same report by NFL Trade Rumors.
NFL Network's Rapoport, as relayed on r/nfl, added the practice detail. After a full week of practice, Williams was listed as questionable, but he took the starter reps and is "ready to roll." Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper said Williams was coy about his availability at a Friday press conference. He wrote that Williams seemed to send a message with a social media post later that day. The feeds don't say what the post said. Yahoo Sports is a little more cautious in tone, calling him "expected to play" and "on track to start." Only ESPN and NFL Network describe it as a plan, and none of the summaries includes an official Bears announcement.
The outlets differ slightly on timing. Yahoo says he has been out since Week 2, while NFL Trade Rumors says he missed three weeks. Our logs show both are consistent: his last appearance was Sept. 20 against Minnesota, and he sat out the games of Sept. 28, Oct. 4 and Oct. 11.
His two games this season were uneven. At Carolina on Sept. 13 he went 21 of 29 for 269 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, and he ran for two more scores. Against Minnesota he was 15 of 26 for 138 yards with an interception, and he was sacked three times for 20 yards. Over the two games he has 407 passing yards, a 65.5 completion percentage, two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and five sacks taken. He also has 107 rushing yards on 15 carries, which matters for a player coming back from a hamstring injury.
The Bears are 3-2 and third in the NFC North, two games behind the 5-0 Vikings, and their run differential is +23. They went 2-1 without Williams. They beat Philadelphia 27-7 on Sept. 28 and the Jets 23-12 on Oct. 4. Then they lost 31-7 at Green Bay on Oct. 11, which is the streak he would be trying to stop.
Sun, Oct 18, 1:00 PM ET
Atlanta is 2-3 and second in the NFC South, half a game behind Carolina, with a run differential of -3. The Falcons lost 30-23 to Baltimore last Sunday after beating New Orleans 45-24 on Oct. 5. Sunday's game is at Atlanta. Whether Williams starts will be clear when the Bears' inactives are announced before kickoff.
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