Caleb Williams passes Mitchell Trubisky in chase for saddest Bears record yet

If there's one thing NFL fans know about the Chicago Bears franchise, it's that they've struggled mightily to find a long-term solution under center.

They selected Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft (Patrick Mahomes went No. 10), and that couldn't have aged worse. They traded up to select Justin Fields with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and while no superstar was taken after him (or before him), Fields quickly proved he was not to be trusted as their franchise quarterback. Those two misses were just two of many in this franchise's long history.

All of their failures being fresh in the minds of Bears fans is why that fan base was overcome with joy by having the opportunity to select Caleb Williams, one of the highest-regarded quarterback prospects in recent memory with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams, paired with an elite skill position group, was sure to thrive in Chicago, right?

Well, things got off to a bit of a bumpy start for Williams through the first couple of weeks of his career. He didn't throw a touchdown pass until Week 3, and didn't have his first outstanding showing until Week 5. That Week 5 game against the Carolina Panthers appeared to have opened the floodgates for Williams, who, in their Week 6 game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars, is dominating again

The 22-year-old's two touchdown passes in the first half not only gave the Bears an 11-point lead at the break, but it also got Williams in a tie with Trubisky in his attempt to chase a depressing Bears record.

Caleb Williams record shows how badly Bears needed a quarterback savior

Williams' third touchdown pass, a strike to Keenan Allen, broke this record. He now has more touchdown passes in his rookie season than Trubisky and Fields did during theirs. He has achieved this goal in Week 6.

It's important to note that neither Trubisky (12 starts) nor Fields (12 appearances, 10 starts) played a full season, but they both threw seven passing touchdowns in their rookie seasons. It took Williams six appearances (all starts) to surpass both of them, even with his slow start to the year.

This shows just how sad quarterbacking in Chicago has been for quite some time, and also shows that Williams, in fact, appears to be different.

The Bears took a commanding lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and are inching closer to going 4-2 on the year. It wouldn't be shocking to see Williams continue to rack up the yards and touchdowns against a subpar Jaguars team. If Williams continues to look like this, the Bears' ceiling will only continue to rise.

The Bears rookie record for touchdown passes was set by Charlie O'Rourke in 1942 with 11 according to Statmuse. Williams is four touchdown passes away as of this writing from setting the record that has somehow been standing for over 80 years. Williams is good, but again, the fact that he's in this discussion in Week 6 shows how bad the quarterback play has been in Chicago forever.