Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Bears fans and fans across the country.
Welp, the Chicago Bears were without Caleb Williams again, and they fell to the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field on Sunday. In the three games Caleb missed, the Bears went 2-1, and if you consider the dark place fans’ minds went when Caleb was carted off the field in Week 2, a 2-1 record is pretty, pretty, pretty good.
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I tried looking up team records for when a backup quarterback was forced into the starting role, but those aren’t readily available. But many NFL coaches would be happy to come away at .500 if QB1 was sidelined. Most fans would tell you the same if their starting quarterback was injured. So why are so many fans so angsty over the Bears’ situation?
Long-time NFL coach Tom Moore, owner of 4 Super Bowl rings and best known for his time as the offensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts with Peyton Manning (1998-2010), had the perfect line about playing games with the backup quarterback.
Jon Gruden, who was an analyst at the time, asked Moore why he wasn’t giving the backups any practice time behind Manning, and Moore said something that would feel right at home in Chicago in 2026: ‘Fellas, if 18 (Manning) goes down we’re f****d, and we don’t practice f****d.’
Chicago’s 18 (Williams) has missed games for the first time in his career, and Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent helped them to a couple of wins.
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While there’s been no official announcement, it appears Caleb will be back on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Do you think he can shake off the rust and get the Bears’ offense back on track?
The Bears sit at 3-2 with two disappointing losses to NFC North rivals (it’s like déjà vu), but there’s a lot of football left to be played.
Anyone bailing at this point in the season is a knucklehead.
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