- Williams’ right hamstring gave out without contact on a fourth-quarter scramble, and he needed a cart to leave the field.
- Backup Tyson Bagent, who went 2-2 in four rookie starts in 2023, is Chicago’s likely fill-in quarterback.
- Bovada lists the Bears at +2000 to win the Super Bowl and +900 for the NFC title.
- Chicago hosts Philadelphia on Monday Night Football Sept. 28, with Williams’ MRI results still pending.
CHICAGO – A cart carried Caleb Williams off midway through the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s 9-3 win at Soldier Field Sunday, his right hamstring giving out on a scramble, and the Chicago Bears will learn from a Monday MRI how long their quarterback is gone, with backup Tyson Bagent the likely starter against Philadelphia next week if Williams can’t go.
A Cart Off Soldier Field
Williams pulled up on a scramble to his left with no defender near him and went to the ground at first-and-goal from the Minnesota 6, the Bears trailing 6-3. He left the sideline on a cart, headed to the locker room.
Coach Ben Johnson said afterward he was relieved the injury wasn’t in the knee, but added that “the hamstring could be pretty damaging as well” and that the team would learn the extent Monday, when Williams undergoes the MRI. Williams was back on his feet and moving without assistance in the locker room afterward, and Johnson said his quarterback was in good spirits, though the coach had no read yet on how long the injury would keep him out.
Bagent Nearly Rallies Chicago
Tyson Bagent took over and threw for 53 yards on four completions during Chicago’s final drive, moving the Bears to the Minnesota 12 before a fourth-down sack by Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner ended the game. He made four rookie starts in 2023 and went 2-2, the body of work that makes him Johnson’s next man up if Williams can’t go against Philadelphia.
Williams himself had thrown 15-of-26 for 138 yards with an interception before he was hurt, in a rain-soaked game that also cost the Bears eight penalties for 58 yards while their defense held Minnesota to 246 total yards and three third-down conversions in 13 tries.
Where The Bears Sit On The Board
Bovada sportsbook lists Chicago at +2000 to win the Super Bowl, tied with Cincinnati and Detroit for eighth-shortest among the 32 teams, and +900 for the NFC championship, fifth on a conference board most USA gambling sites carry.
A team that scored three points with Williams playing into the fourth quarter now needs a backup to hold the offense together for at least a week, and that uncertainty is what the current number carries. The price has room to lengthen if the hamstring costs Williams more than the Eagles game, and to firm back up if Monday’s imaging comes back clean and he practices during Eagles week.
What’s Next
Chicago hosts Philadelphia at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football, Sept. 28, with the Eagles priced at +800 for the NFC crown on the same board. Whatever Monday’s MRI shows will set Chicago’s practice plan for the week, and the first practice reports of Eagles week are the next real data point for both the line and the Bears’ quarterback decision.