3 things Caleb Williams can learn from watching Kyler Murray

I don't know about the rest of the Chicago Bears fans out there, but I'm ready to forget about what happened last week and move on. We need to put things into perspective. Yes, the Bears lost in horrific fashion on Sunday, but they're still 4-3. Every goal they laid out at the beginning of the season is still within reach. Let's forget about the mistakes of the past and focus on how to beat the Arizona Cardinals.

The Bears haven't won a road game yet this season, and to change that they'll need to contain Arizona's dynamic quarterback, Kyler Murray. Kyler is having the best statistical season of his career, and he has the Cardinals at 4-4 after driving them in back-to-back weeks for a buzzer-beating, game-winning field goal.

Kyler's 74.4 QBR ranks third in the NFL, and he's even put to bed the hilarious narrative that his play falls off whenever a new Call of Duty comes out, because he was fantastic last week despite COD: Black Ops 6 dropping two days before he lit up the Dolphins for 307 yards and two touchdowns.

Kyler shares a lot in common with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Both are former Oklahoma Sooners and Heisman Trophy winners, and both were the overall No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. They're each former students of Lincoln Riley and Kliff Kingsbury.

Caleb's play in college led to him being compared to Kyler during the pre-draft process, and it's easy to see why. Both players have a knack for improvisation and making things happen outside the pocket. Both have the ability to make highlight-reel plays at any given moment. Both now have the weight of their respective franchises on their shoulders.

Kyler was recently asked what advice he would give to his opponent this Sunday, and he said, "You got to be who you are." He acknowledged that any NFL quarterback should take advice and always try to improve, but at the end of the day, you have to play your own game.

Caleb has already made great strides as an NFL quarterback in his first seven games. He's improved his decision-making and his ability to limit turnovers. He's gotten better as the game goes along, shaking off a slow start to lead two late touchdown drives to give the Bears what should have been a win against the Commanders. He's definitely being himself and playing his game, but at the same time, there's a lot he could learn from watching Kyler and the way he operates. Let's take a look at some things Kyler does that Caleb can incorporate into his ever-improving game.

Kyler is elite not only at keeping plays alive, but in making good things happen when he does

One concern that scouts had with Caleb coming out of college was that he held the ball too long, which in the NFL could lead to sacks and other negative plays. Caleb has allayed those concerns with his play since joining the Bears, as he's been fantastic in the quick game.

Caleb's quick release and elite processing speed has made him one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the league on throws that take place less than 2.5 seconds from the snap. He was particularly effective against the Jaguars in that department, completing 13 of 14 passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns when they met in Week 6.

Caleb's also been effective when he's been able to buy time, but he's not yet at Kyler's level. Just look at what Kyler did to the Rams in Week 2's 41-10 blowout. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, he finished the game 10 of 12 for 219 yards and three touchdowns on plays in which he took longer than 2.5 seconds to throw.

Caleb's shown a natural ability to know when to run on his scrambles, and when to keep his eyes downfield and find his receiver. His deep ball accuracy hasn't really clicked yet though, unlike Kyler, who's had a reputation since entering the league as being one of the best deep-ball throwers.

Covering NFL receivers is hard work, and it's nearly impossible when the play gets extended. That's why so many explosive plays happen when the quarterback is able to buy time. Caleb was the best college quarterback in the country at converting extended plays into explosive gains, so it should only be a matter of time until he translates that skill to the NFL.

This year, Kyler leads all quarterbacks in yards per rush

Does Kyler look funny when he takes off and runs? Yes he does. I can't see him scramble without thinking of this tweet:

However it looks, there's no denying how effective Kyler is when he tucks the ball and takes off. Since his rookie season, only Lamar Jackson has averaged more yards per rush, with 6.3 compared to Kyler's 6.0, but this year, Kyler stands alone among quarterbacks that have at least 20 carries with an incredible 8.4 yards per rush.

Bears fans will be happy to know that Caleb is actually second on that list, even ahead of elite scramblers like Lamar, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts, with 6.4 yards per carry. Like Kyler, he doesn't take off all the time (Lamar, for instance, has 81 runs on the year compared to Kyler's 41 and Caleb's 34), but when he does run, it's an extremely efficient play on average.

Caleb may be physically bigger than Kyler, but the Bears don't want him running all the time. Lamar has stayed mostly healthy despite his high carry totals, but he's the exception to the rule. Even Caleb's draftmate Jayden Daniels, who has quickly proven himself to be elite with the ball in his hands, suffered a rib injury already after a long scramble against the Panthers in Week 7.

Kyler tore his ACL and meniscus while scrambling in 2022, and since then, he's been more selective with his running. It hasn't hindered his effectiveness at all though, as this year's league-leading average has shown.

Caleb seems to already have a good idea of when he should be running and when he should not, and it's been encouraging to see him protect himself by sliding when he's in the open field. Seeing Kyler up close and personal on Sunday should only enforce how to be an effective but selective scrambler.

Kyler knows how to get off to a hot start

One area that Caleb and the Bears offense as a whole has struggled with this year is the first quarter. Through eight weeks, the Bears have managed only 10 points total in the first quarter of games. If it feels like the Bears have had to fight back from a deficit every game, it's because they have.

If I was a detective assigned to the case, it's offensive coordinator Shane Waldron who I'd be putting in cuffs right about now. Waldron's scripts to start the game have been dreadful, and though he's gotten better as the games have gone along, there's no excuse for starting so slowly every single week.

Waldron would be found guilty as charged, but Caleb has at least been his accomplice. Too often this year we've seen Caleb come out and be wildly inaccurate on the first possession or two, and it's perplexing as to why this keeps happening.

Maybe Caleb can ask Kyler what his pregame routine is, because Kyler has played his best football in the first quarter. This year, he's thrown five of his 11 touchdowns in the first quarter. Caleb has just one, a 34-yarder to DJ Moore against the Panthers in Week 5.

Kyler's first-quarter passer rating is 116.5, a number that would lead the league if extrapolated over the entire game. Caleb's is only 84.4, which is just above what Andy Dalton, Bo Nix and Gardner Minshew have done over the entire season.

Maybe Kyler is just getting better pregame speeches from Jonathan Gannon than Caleb is from Matt Eberflus. Maybe he's getting more sleep the night before, or maybe he's energized by sneaking in a few Call of Duty deathmatches in the locker room before the opening kickoff. Whatever it is, it's working, and Caleb needs to learn from it.