Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams 'week to week' after injury against Vikings, Ben Johnson says

Chicago Bears fans who initially feared the worst after quarterback Caleb Williams left the field with a hamstring injury on Sunday say they are feeling some relief following reports that the injury may not be as severe as many had thought.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Williams’ status is “week to week.” He did not expect Williams to practice this week but is not ruling him out for next week’s Monday night home game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Williams’ injury led to a morning busy with fans and experts calling in at the 104.3 The Score, all of whom are expecting Williams to be out. The question is for how long and if the team can rally around backup quarterback Tyson Bagent in the meantime.

“Everybody’s body heals differently, so that’s the hard part. It could be two to three weeks. It could be two weeks,” The Score’s Jarrett Payton said.

At the United Center, where fans arrived for a Chicago Blackhawks preseason game on Monday, many said Williams and the status of his right hamstring were top-of-mind.

“I may or may not have had the alerts on my phone, going through in between work emails,” said Bears fan Zoe Sanders.

“Every Bears fan is like, ‘Oh no, you got to be kidding me,'” said Bears fan Sue Santacaterina.

Fans described the anxiety of seeing the franchise quarterback on the ground at Soldier Field before being helped off the field during the Bears home opener against the Minnesota Vikings.

But after a thorough examination, including an MRI on Monday, it appears that injury is not nearly as serious as it could be. It is a grade one strain as opposed to grade 3, which would be a complete tear.

“Preparing for the worst, and then getting something that’s not that bad, still not great, but I’ll take week to week,” said Bears fan Mike Alborn.

Fan Theodore Peters added, “It’s like, every night, you got to pray for him, you know. You got to make sure he’s healthy.”

Questions remain about how long Williams could be sidelined.

According to Dr. Andrew Riff of the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute, a study published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine reviewed more than 2,000 NFL hamstring injuries over a 12-year period.

“More than 80% of them were grade 1 strains, and average time on IR was about two and a half weeks,” Riff said.

The study also found that one in three players suffered a hamstring reinjury.

“The biggest fear is re-injury,” Riff said. “There is a high risk of recurrent strain.”

“This was, really, sort of an overstriding-type injury, and that is classic for a hamstring strain,” Riff continued. “But, you know, ultimately, the fact that the mechanism wasn’t too crazy… It was non-contact. I think that’s reassuring.”

Dr. Denis Williams, an orthopedic surgeon with Endeavor Health, is familiar with hamstring injuries.

“It is possible that he’s back pretty quickly, but I worry about a reinjury if he’s back too quickly,” he said. “When you do it, you know it. It’s extremely painful, no matter how severe it is,” he said.

John Jurkovic of ESPN 1000 said Williams will have access to extensive medical resources during his recovery.

“They’re going to give him the best treatment that money can buy, so, it’s going to see how his body… he’s young. Usually young guys can recover quickly,” Jurkovic said. “Caleb is going to be your quarterback for the next 10 to 12 years. You want Caleb being the guy that’s developing with everyone else moving forward.”

As attention turns to next week’s Monday night home game against Philadelphia, focus is shifting to Bagent.

“Bagent has talent. He has grit. He prepares hard. He’s kind of made of the right stuff,” said Dan Pompei of The Athletic. “I wouldn’t write the Bears off with Bagent.”

Bagent stepped in to finished Sunday’s game as Bears fell to the Vikings 9-3. He would be first in line to step in for Williams next week.

“You have to have faith in Tyson Bagent that he can be a guy that can kind of be a game manager. He doesn’t have the arm that Caleb has, but they’re also going to have to rely on this Bears running game as well, which they did before last year in Philadelphia,” Payton said.

Some fans expressed confidence in the Bears’ depth at quarterback.

“At least we have a reliable backup. We actually have two reliable backups, so I think we’ll be OK,” one fan said.

Regardless of who starts at quarterback, the Bears will need a strong running game against the Eagles, similar to the performance they had in a victory over Philadelphia last season.