Caleb Williams’ National perception will change after Sunday’s performance against the Cowboys

There is praise still coming in for the Chicago Bears and their impressive first win of 2025, which featured a 31-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. First-year head coach Ben Johnson picked up his first win as a head coach, which featured four offensive touchdowns and a near 300 yard passing performance from second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. For Williams, the victory and performance against the Cowboys in what was the premiere contest on Sunday afternoon, with most of the nation tuning in, being able to be that productive on that large of a stage will immensely help the perception surrounding the young signal-caller.

Caleb Williams’ four touchdown game will be remembered nationally which will help change how he is viewed

Since being drafted first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Bears, Caleb Williams has been a lightning rod for debate, as whether he deserved to be the first quarterback selected, as there were four other quarterback prospects taken in the first round of the 2024 draft. Other signal-callers that were drafted after Williams in the first round included Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr, and Bo Nix. During the entire 2024 season and the first few weeks of 2025, Chicago’s quarterback has been often compared to his fellow passers from the draft, especially with Daniels and Nix helping their respective teams reach the playoffs during their rookie campaign.

On Sunday, Williams was the only quarterback taken in the first round of the 2024 draft to record a win while also demonstrating growth over the first three weeks of the young season. Daniels was sidelined in Washington’s victory over Las Vegas, Maye’s Patriots lost to the Steelers while significantly outgaining their opponent in yards, Penix’s Falcons lost 30-0, and Nix struggled with deep ball accuracy in a 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Against the Cowboys, Caleb Williams passed for 298 yards and four touchdowns, the second time he has done it in his brief two-year career.

Although the performance alone it what matters the most, Caleb Williams being able to play so significantly well in the marquee Sunday afternoon game carries significant for how he can be viewed nationally moving forward. It is widely known given the prominent national following that Dallas has paired with Chicago being the third biggest tv market in the country, that Sunday’s game between the Bears and Cowboys will likely be one of Fox’s more highly viewed contests in recent years. If this is the case, Williams’ performance will be remembered by many nationally, as the embattled quarterback pushes back against several issues that had recently plagued him.

Coming into the Week 3 contest, one of the more glaring critiques of Williams, especially to begin the 2025 season, has been his deep ball accuracy, had he had more incompletions than completions on throws that had 25 or more air yards on it. Most notably was his wide-open miss to DJ Moore late in their Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings that would of have resulted in a touchdown. Against the Cowboys, Caleb Williams connected on four passes that traveled over 20 yards in the air, including the 35-yard touchdown throw to Rome Odunze and the 65-yard flea-flicker pass to rookie Luther Burden.

Another aspect that had plagued Caleb Williams and that had generated criticism against him on a national level, was his ability to play from the pocket. In the win over Dallas, most of Williams completed throws came from under center and were thrown from the pocket. Since the quarterback’s time at USC, fans and analysts have debated whether or not he can be successful when not throwing while on the run or breaking from the pocket to create a big play when one isn’t available.

Caleb Williams can reinforce his national image with Chicago’ upcoming primetime games this season

For Williams, the elite-level performance in front of most of the nation helps solidify his stats, that many may not believe without actually seeing his play. For instance, Caleb Williams currently leads the league with passing touchdowns, having seven through the first three weeks of the season, and leads all quarterbacks in total touchdowns. Being able to be a league-leader in offensive production matters, given the poor historic perception about Bears’ quarterbacks and their level of futility for decades.

If Williams continues to improve his play on a week-to-week basis under Johnson, he will have several more opportunities to demonstrate why he deserved to be the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bears will play four more nationally televised games this year, which include a Monday Night game in a few weeks against the Washington Commanders, a Black Friday contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, A special Week 16 Saturday game against Green Bay Packers, and finally a Sunday Night game against the San Francisco 49ers a week later. A strong performance by Caleb Williams in a few weeks against Daniels and the Commanders would be massive, as many analysts and fans believe that Daniels should have been the first overall selection in 2024.

Strong performances in those nationally televised games, with potential wins coming because of the performance, would help solidify Williams being viewed as an elite-level quarterback. It would cause the national media and analysts that have recently been critical of Caleb Williams to likely acknowledge that the Bears’ quarterback has grown and corrected the weaknesses that plagued him as a rookie. Furthermore, the signal-caller could join a small level of other signal-callers who are seen as the best nationally, which include Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Joe Burrow.

The performance against the Cowboys on Sunday by Caleb Williams will be remember by many fans across the country, which could lead to them tuning in the next time Chicago plays on a national stage. Four touchdowns and a near 300 yard passing game from Williams is what fans will remember for the next few weeks until the Bears play Washington and Daniels on Monday Night Football. If Chicago’s second-year quarterback can outperform his fellow signal-caller, it will help change the national perception for a player that has been highly scrutinized the last year and a half.