CHICAGO – Caleb Williams’ NFL debut did not go as planned. The No. 1 overall NFL draft pick struggled to get much of anything going in the passing game.

The offense as a whole seemed out of sync with the rookie starting quarterback inconsistent with his accuracy and timing.

That didn’t stop the Bears from getting Williams his first victory. Excellent defense and quality special teams play in the second-half helped Chicago emerge with a 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field.

This is a team game, after all, and the Bears won as a unit. They did not win in spite of Williams.

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While his stat line doesn’t read well – Williams was 14 of 29 passing for 93 yards and a 55.7 passer rating, with five carries for 15 yards – it includes another important number.

Zero.

As in, critical mistakes. Williams didn’t throw an interception. He didn’t lose a fumble.

Those two things allowed the defense and kicking game to help get this win. If Williams puts the Bears in terrible spots, there’s no way they emerge victorious.

“The team around him played better in the second half,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “We said, you need to keep doing that as he grows and develops because he is a talent. He’s smart as a whip and knows the offense. And we’ve just got to keep playing well around him as he grows and reinvests and improves.”

Williams will get better. He’s too talented to play like this for long. He seemed a bit uncertain on when to run and when to stay on schedule. He was hesitant letting the ball go at times, but he didn’t try to force much.

“I didn’t perform the way that I wanted to,” Williams said. “I missed a few passes that I normally don’t miss, all these other things. I think the small things always lead up to big things and make those moments a lot bigger, they make games a lot closer.”

It was worth noting how Williams reacted to his performance, with a few comments that were important and suggest that he’s close to playing far better than what he showed on Sunday.

“I saw things well,” Williams said. “A few passes that may have been dropped, may have been missed. I think it was just miscues. Speed of the game wise — it didn’t, I would say, affect or change much. The miscues made it look that way. Miscues, misfires, all these other things. (There was) a little bit of frustration for not executing.”

The most important part of that last quote: “I saw things well.” He wasn’t bothered by the speed of the game. He knew where he wanted to go and saw his receivers open up down the field.

The game wasn’t too big for him. Williams just didn’t execute to his standard. That’s not going to happen much. He has too long a track record of success to suggest that he has forgotten how to throw. That’s easily solved with a talent like this.

That’s why there’s no cause for major concern after this performance. So was the fact that Eberflus saw no panic from his quarterback and no desire to play hero ball while trying to make up for things not going well.

“He was calm, cool and collected the whole time,” Eberflus said. “Never got frustrated. We always talk to him about the response you have of just hanging in there, because sometimes it can get rough on both sides. It can get rough. You’ve just got to hang in there. You’ve got to have that belief — the belief in the man next to you, belief in your teammates. It’s not just about one guy.”

Williams is a guy who must perform better, starting next week in a tough matchup against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans.

The USC product is ready to “go back to the lab,” as he put it, to make sure that timing with his receivers is spot on moving forward.

“You expect to play a certain way, you expect yourself to perform a certain way, to make passes, whether it’s just a routine pass or an insane kind,” Williams said. “That didn’t happen today, so it’s enough motivation for me. We’re going to somebody else’s home this (upcoming) week and so it’s enough motivation for me to go out there and get better and make sure I perform differently next week.”

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