Editor’s note: The Bears play their ninth game this season on Sunday at noon CT vs. the Patriots at Solider Field. Immediately after the Bears game, stream The Official Bears Postgame Live brought to you by United Airlines exclusively on Marquee Sports Network and the Marquee Sports Network App. For more information on how to watch, click here.

Caleb Williams has cooled off a bit after an excellent three-game stretch leading into a Week 7 bye.

That was evident in a 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, where he was 22-of-41 passing for 217 yards, no touchdowns and no picks. He was also sacked six times and was working without both Bears starting offensive tackles late in the game.

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While he was under pressure, it also seemed like Williams was out of sync in terms of his accuracy and chemistry with his receivers. We’ll get into all of that in our weekly deep dive into the performance of the No. 1 overall pick.

As a note, this version of Counting on Caleb just got a lot better. Why? Coach Dave Wannstedt has gotten involved. He provides a unique perspective on the Bears quarterback you won’t find anywhere else.

You can hear from Coach Wannstedt after most every game on the Official Bears Postgame Live on Marquee Sports Network and the Marquee Sports app.

We’ll still provide the same in-depth stats, quotes and advanced metrics you’re used to, plus insight from the former Bears coach and one of the best analysts out there.

Week 9 stat line

Box score

10-for-24 passing (41.7 comp%), 131 yds, 5.5 ypa, 0 TD, 0 INT, 59.5 passer rating; 10 rushes, 41 yards, 2 sacks, 0 fumbles

PFF Metrics

Kept clean (58.0%): 14-for-28, 103 yds, 3.7 ypa, 0 TD, 0 INT

Under pressure (42.0%): 8-for-13, 114 yds, 8.8 ypa, 0 TD, 0 INT

Not Blitzed (58.0%): 14-for-22, 106 yds, 4.8 ypa, 0 TD, 0 INT

When Blitzed (42.0%): 8-for-19, 111 yds, 5.8 ypa, 0 TD, 0 INT

PFF Passing direction map

Coach Wannstedt’s evaluation

“My take on Caleb, it’s pretty simple, really. We have to keep trying to find ways where we can protect him and give him a fair chance to have some success. Running the ball, using the playaction pass and, every once in a while, using a hurry-up type of offense. He does that well, where you can get him on the move a little bit.

On the other side, let’s be honest about this, too. Caleb had some open receivers and he overthrew them or he missed the throw. Is it because of the pressure? I think he got hit (12 times) dropping back, and there were six sacks on Sunday also. It could be a combination of both of those things (that factored into his performance).” – Coach Dave Wannstedt

Williams on his Week 9 performance

“We would have negative plays, and that’s including myself. That’s including all the guys. (There’s) nothing that goes on in that field that happens that I’m not a part of and can be better at in some way. Whether it’s throughout the week, whether it’s on game day and communicating. Whatever the case may be. I think it starts with negative plays, penalties. And then from there, after you get really good at those things and not having those things happen. Then the execution and things like that can level up and you can focus more on that.” – Caleb Williams

Rookie rankings

Williams is among four rookie quarterbacks making regular starts for their respective teams at this time. Here are their overall stats through nine weeks:

Jayden Daniels (Washington): 163-of-228 passing (71.5 comp%), 1,945 yds, 9 TD, 2 INT, 8.5 ypa, 106.7 passer rating; 82 rushes, 459 yds, 4 TD; 17 sacks, 3 fumbles

Bo Nix (Denver): 184-of-294 passing (62.6 comp%), 1,753 yds, 8 TD, 6 INT, 6.0 ypa, 79.6 passer rating; 52 rushes, 259 yds, 4 TD; 15 sacks, 0 fumbles

Caleb Williams (Bears): 140-for-223 passing (62.8 comp%), 1,448 yds, 9 TD, 5 INT, 6.5 ypa, 85.6 passer rating; 58 rushes for 295 yds; 22 sacks, 3 fumbles

Drake Maye (Patriots)*: 82-of-125 passing (65.6 comp%), 770 yds, 6 TD, 4 INT, 6.2 ypa, 85.1 passer rating; 21 rushes, 209 yds, 1 TD; 13 sacks, 3 fumble

* Maye assumed the starter’s role in Week 6 and suffered a concussion in Week 8

Coach Wannstedt on how Caleb can improve

“I would do everything I could, this week, to try to protect Caleb and give him a good chance to build some success early in the game.” — Coach Dave Wannstedt

Williams and Eberflus on what comes next

“You have to find answers. Three weeks ago, we were doing this right and it was looking good. Now we have to find answers. That’s why I always say this league is week-to-week, so we have to find answers to put our players in position to be successful, including Caleb.” – Matt Eberflus

“Expectations of myself are always gonna be high. They’re still high. We still have nine games, or something like that. It’s gonna keep being high every game we go into. We just have to figure out, what’s the next step. I have to figure out how to get the win this next week. This game’s over, can’t change this game, but we definitely can change the future.” – Caleb Williams