Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune has 10 thoughts after the Bears Win over the Packers last Sunday. Here he addresses quarterback Caleb Williams’ 4th and 8 throw to wise receiver Rome Odunze in the 4th quarter:
It’s a big-time throw at any point in a ballgame. With the situation — fourth-and-8 with the Bears on their 43 and trailing 27-16 with 5:37 to play — the stakes couldn’t get much bigger. Fail to convert there, and Green Bay takes over on the plus side of the field with a chance to ice the game. The Packers rushed only four.
“He’s a guy that’s tough to contain,” [Packers head coach] Matt LaFleur said of Williams. “The whole plan was to try to especially eliminate his ability to go right. That’s what he likes to do. But certainly, I mean, he made a heck of a play, heck of a throw.”
LaFleur would have had a point earlier in the season. Williams was constantly looking to roll to his right and he was struggling to throw accurately when forced to go left. It awkward for any right handed quarterback to do that because you are turning to your right, against the momentum to the left, to square up and pass with any strength.
But this is outdated information now. Williams has been rolling to his left for a few weeks now and he’s been on the money more times than not. It’s still awkward and you can tell that because he literally jumped in the air with the “Jordan pose” to make the Odunze throw. But he’s got a tremendous amount of arm strength and he can use it to his advantage more than most quarterbacks in this situation.
Bottom line, I don’t think Williams is as hesitant to roll left as LaFluer thinks and I don’t think it hinders him as much as some people who were watching earlier in the year might be thinking.