Why Super Bowl Doesn’t Support Bears Drafting Caleb Williams

They have narrowed the gap with Celtic to just three points having played a game less.

The Bears haven’t played in a Super Bowl since before the recession, so this could be it.

However, the Kansas City Chiefs’ 25-22 victory over San Francisco on Sunday in overtime raises some eyebrows regarding the Bears.

Every time an NFL game or games are played, it speaks volumes about the particular club participating.

There were some extremely clear and some little more subtle comments mentioned about the Bears in the season finale of 2023.

They have narrowed the gap with Celtic to just three points having played a game less.

It also mentioned the Bears’ excellent quarterback selection that will be made in the NFL Draft.

Here are some thoughts on the Chicago Bears from Super Bowl LVIII.

1. THE OBVIOUS Ryan Pace, what were you thinking? It’s been said countless times before but let’s say it again: Ryan Pace,

what were you thinking? Mitchell Trubisky or Patrick Mahomes? Wow.

2. NARROWER GAP The 49ers were within a fourth-and-1 play in overtime of winning the Lombardi Trophy.

They were the best team in the NFC but they beat Detroit by only a field goal.

The Bears manhandled Detroit in Chicago and led by 12 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining at Detroit.

The Bears appear to be a long way from being able to play at such a high level against good teams, but a closer examination of the matchups

and results suggests that the climb may not be as steep. They must demonstrate that it is not a steep ascent.

3. HITTING RECEIVER HARD San Francisco lost Deebo Samuel at times Sunday with an injury and had George Kittle leave but both came back.

The 49ers just kept putting productive players on the field and these weren’t all Day 1 or Day 2 draft picks.

Jauan Jennings was their leading wide receiver in the game with four catches and was a seventh-round pick.

Brandon Aiyuk helped pick up the slack for Samuel, who still caught three passes for 33 yards.

When Ray-Ray McCloud wasn’t bumbling away the football on punt returns from in the red zone, even he caught a 19-yard pass.

The Bears lack depth of targets at receiver. They need to find more, possibly two or even three who can produce.

It became apparent this season they can’t count on anyone beyond DJ Moore and Cole Kmet last season.

No playoff team wins with one wide receiver who can contribute.

The Chiefs were just one instance of this. Although the Chiefs have now won two Super Bowls without Tyreek Hill,

nobody enjoyed Kansas City’s attempt to replace him when he left. However, they have discovered that a respectable receiver

can be effective when paired with the proper passer. The best receiver is not required. Justin Watson, Rashee Rice,

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and even recycled Mahomes relied on three or more catches from Mecole Hardman to support Travis Kelce,

who came on strong in the fourth quarter with nine catches for 93 yards.

4. DON’T WORRY ABOUT TACKLES IN DRAFT The two starting Chiefs tackles were Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith.

The two Bears starting tackles this year were better according to Pro Football Focus grades than both of those tackles,

and better than one of the 49ers tackles as well.

The place to focus on the offensive line is center for now and also for depth at other spots.

5. KEEP FINDING PASS RUSHERS As Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus insisted, you can never have too many pass rushers or cornerbacks.

The Bears appear to have cornerbacks in sufficient numbers but to face teams like the Super Bowl combatants, the Lions or even the Packers,

they need more than one pass rusher. They need to come at a team in waves with pass rushers from their line and not blitzes.

The 49ers did this and it still wasn’t enough. Jordan Love, Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff won’t look nearly as comfortable

trying to throw against the Bears secondary with constant, real heat applied.

The Super Bowl showed you need as many as possible who can do this because overtime games and

even non-overtime games wear down pass rushers.

At any time on the final Chiefs drive or the final 49ers drive a big play from the pass rush could have made the difference in

determining the winner. Get more pass rushers and keep rotating.

6. THE CALEB WILLIAMS QUESTION There was this belief among those who think the Bears should trade Justin Fields and draft Williams that

if Mahomes won another Super Bowl it would support the idea the Bears should draft the USC QB.

Williams is the talented quarterback who can deliver a Super Bowl victory as an off-script playmaker, much like Mahomes.

This idea was not validated by the Chiefs victory. To strengthen the roster as much as possible, it actually did more to encourage the opposing

viewpoint, which is that they should maintain Fields and exchange the right to select Williams for further picks.

Williams may adopt many Mahomes-like traits, but Mahomes is one player, and even at his best,

he was hardly good enough to defeat a club that had surrounded a seventh-round quarterback with skill.

No other Mahomes exist.

There is no other Mahomes.

Calling Williams the next Mahomes is an awfully bold statement and it’s unproven.

Williams might resemble him in style somewhat, but a QB of even slightly less ability than Mahomes would never get away

with trying many of the nutty things the Chiefs QB gets away with against the best defenses in the world.

It would be disaster for a lesser player to try these things. And even with all of that ability on Sunday,

the real Mahomes was only a hair better than the 49ers and their seventh-round QB.

The 49ers were within one fourth down conversion of winning it all after they built up their roster and used the last pick of the draft at quarterback.

If the Bears move back for picks and draft either Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy or possibly even

Jayden Daniels—depending on what they can get for the first pick—they can let the rookie QB learn behind Fields for a year before he would play.

And who knows, maybe Fields does deliver with that one extra year?

With the trade back, they would then have the resources to assemble a squad that could be on par with or even superior than the 49ers,

with the difference being that they would be surrounding a first- or second-round choice rather than a seventh-rounder.

That might make a difference if Mahomes and you play in a Super Bowl overtime in the future.

Fields and any other first- or second-round quarterback selected would obviously have greater odds with a strong

team surrounding them than would the man selected with the last pick in the draft. However,

this does not necessarily indicate Fields is the quarterback of the future.

This might have been enough to win a Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.

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