Caleb Williams is set to start for the Chicago Bears on Sunday, after missing the team’s last three games with a torn hamstring.
Superstar QB Williams, 24, sparked fears of a serious injury when he was carted off and covered his face with a towel in Week 2 – almost a month ago – but concerns were quickly allayed by team doctors.
Williams has slowly been building up to his much-anticipated return, and ESPN’s NFL insiders Ian Rapoport, Adam Schefter and Mike Garafolo confirmed on Saturday evening that the Bears plan to put Williams in from the start against the Falcons.
The QB has been a full participant in practice all week, with head coach Ben Johnson confirming to the media on Friday that Williams was ‘on track’ to play for the 3-2 Bears in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.
He is officially listed as ‘questionable’ for the game, but barring any setbacks it will appear the team’s QB1 will be on the field and at full health.
Earlier in the week, Williams had sparked excitement among fans by reposting a TikTok hitting back at his critics and hinting at his impending return to the field.
Caleb Williams has been a full participant in practice all week and will play on Sunday
Footage of Williams saluting the crowd as he was carted off was ruthlessly mocked online
The clip, created by a fan and shared by Williams to his 423,000 followers, began with a clip of him leaving the field on a cart in Week 2, overlaid by audio from critics slamming him for his dramatic exit when he wasn’t seriously injured.
The TikTok clip then cuts to a scene from The Bear with Jeremy Allen White’s character saying: ‘I think that flicked a switch in me where I was like, “f*** you”. Watch this.’
The video then showed a series of Williams’ biggest highlights of his Bears career so far, sparking fans’ excitement about him being back on the biggest stage.
Williams has watched on from the sidelines for the past three NFL games but is now back
Williams led the Bears to a huge win in Week 1 over the Panthers, with his electric offense scoring 59 points in a 59-37 victory.
His early exit in Week 2 was the prelude to a 9-3 loss to the Vikings, and the team has since gone 2-1 in his absence, using a combination of Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent at QB.
Head coach Johnson will be delighted to have his star man back on the field this weekend, as Chicago heads into a vital part of the season against Atlanta, New England and Seattle.
