Bears QB Caleb Williams hurts hamstring on non-contact play in 9-3 loss to Vikings

Quarterback Caleb Williams hurt his right hamstring on a non-contact play midway through the fourth quarter of the Bears‘ 9-3 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.

He fell to the ground screaming after rolling to the left on a first-and-goal pass at the Vikings’ 6. He slid to the ground for no-gain. He went to the blue medical tent and was eventually taken on a golf cart to the Bears locker room. Williams had a towel over his face but took it off and pumped his fist in the air as he reached the tunnel at the northwest side of Soldier Field.

The Bears will evaluate Williams again Monday after doing further imaging. Coach Ben Johnson said he was “happy it was nothing with the knee,” but admitted that the “hamstring could be damaging as well.” He spoke to Williams shortly after the game ended and said the quarterback was in good spirits.

Williams walked through the locker room carrying his duffel bag, seemed upbeat, said hello to people. He said “all good” as he walked past Tyson Bagent’s media scrum and left the locker room.

When Williams was hurt, a hush fell over a damp Soldier Field, which had watched the Bears struggle to just three points one week they scored 59 points in a win against the Panthers. The mood grew even more somber three plays later, when Cairo Santos’ chip shot field goal, which would have tied the game, was blocked by the Vikings’ Isaiah Rodgers.

Down six with a minute to play, Bagent took over at the 35 and completed his first two passes to Luther Burden before spiking the ball at the Vikings’ 41 with 38 seconds left. He lofted a pass right to Rome Odunze for 21 yards on the next play. After an eight-yard completion to Burden, Bagent threw incomplete along the left sideline, leaving third-and-two from the 12 with 5 seconds to play. After an incompletion, Bagent took the snap with 1 second left at the 12 yard line — and was sacked by edge rusher Dallas Turner.

Williams hurt the same hamstring during the Pac-12 championship game while at USC. Before Sunday, Williams had been remarkably durable during his three-year NFL career, never missing a significant snap at any point in his NFL career. Williams was one of the darlings of the NFL offseason, landing a “Madden” cover and visiting sporting events across Chicago as a prominent fan.

He finished the game 15-for-26 for 138 yards, one interception and a 56.2 passer rating.

The Bears trailed the Vikings 6-3 at halftime with their only points, a 50-yard Santos field goal, coming after Williams’ wild scramble. A D’Andre Swift fumble at the 1-yard line and Santos’ blocked kick kept the Bears shut out throughout the second half. The Vikings’ Will Reichard made his third field goal of the game with 1:09 to play to go ahead by six.

The Bears have eight days until their next game, a Monday night matchup against the Eagles at Soldier Field.