HOUSTON — Bears quarterback Caleb Williams got knocked around quite a bit on the field and on the sideline during the team’s 19-13 loss to the Texans on Sunday. He said he was “a little bruised up,” but survived without any significant injuries.
“Took a couple hits today,” Williams said. “I’m gonna get in the ice tub and do everything I need to do to make sure my body is ready for practice and the next game.”
Williams got sacked seven times (plus another four quarterback hits) and took at least two hard hits while running out of bounds, including one that nearly sparked a brawl on the Bears’ sideline.
None of the hits on Williams were penalized, though left guard Teven Jenkins said it wasn’t an issue of them being legal or illegal, but rather that they broke the unwritten code.
“There’s little things about football that when a quarterback gets to the sideline and you know he’s running out – you’re going to hit him?” Jenkins said. “There’s little things like that that defenders know and they still hit the quarterback. So there’s things you’ve gotta respond to. He was running out and giving himself up.”
When asked if the Texans understood what the Bears were angry about, Jenkins said, “I’m sure they know.”
Williams completed 23 of 37 passes for 174 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 51.0 passer rating. He also ran for a team-high 44 yards on five carries.
In both cases, the Bears lost a timeout.
The veteran receiver was made inactive 90 minutes before kickoff against the Texans.