How Caleb Williams could steal Rookie of the Year in Week 18

Though there are many teams with something to play for in Week 18 of the NFL season, the Chicago Bears are not one of them. The Monsters of the Midway are in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, giving them a strong case for being the most disappointing team in the league.

The arrival of Caleb Williams as the Bears' first No. 1 overall pick since Bob Fenimore in 1947 was supposed to herald a new era of Bears football, and for a bit there, things were looking good. Williams threw for four touchdowns in a 35-16 shellacking of the Jags in London way back in Week 6 to move the Bears to 4-2, but since then it's been nothing but heartbreak for the Soldier Field faithful.

Even as the team has imploded around him, there's been a lot to like about what Williams has done in his rookie season. He's only thrown six interceptions all year, and he just recently finished a run of 354 consecutive passes without a pick, the sixth-longest streak in history. His arm has been as big as advertised, and he's shown the ability to make plays with his legs. He's also been remarkably durable, as he's started every game despite being sacked a league-high 67 times. Williams has also shown great leadership, such as when he came out earlier this week in defense of his offensive line.

For all of these reasons, Bears fans feel good about having Williams as their franchise quarterback going forward, but it's not going to be enough to win him Rookie of the Year. Although he was the favorite in the preseason to take home the hardware, he's been passed by an impressive bunch of rookies, including Giants receiver Malik Nabers, Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Bucs running back Bucky Irving and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.

Those players have all been exceptional in their first year of the league, but the race for Offensive Rookie of the Year seems to be settled, as Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the draft behind Williams, has led the Washington Commanders to a playoff berth with his electrifying game.

Daniels is the biggest reason why the Commanders are 11-5 in Dan Quinn's first season as head coach. His stats are impressive, as he's passed for 3,530 yards and rushed for 864 more, a record for rookie quarterbacks. He's also authored some of the most memorable moments of this season, from his touchdown to Terry McLaurin to cap off a nearly flawless performance against the Bengals in Week 3, to his Hail Mary to beat the Bears in Week 8, to his game-winning drive to beat the Eagles in Week 16.

Though his stats actually aren't too far off from Daniels, the difference in their teams' records means that there's not much that Williams can do to catch his fellow rookie QB, so when thinking about what would need to happen, we decided to have some fun. Here are three ways Caleb Williams can steal the Rookie of the Year award in Week 18.

Throw for 12 touchdowns against the Packers

The rookie record for touchdown passes is 31, set by Justin Herbert in 2020. Williams currently has 19, making it not very likely that he'll finish the season anywhere close. You'd have to think tying the record would be enough to leapfrog Daniels, though, right?

Eight different quarterbacks have thrown seven touchdown passes in a game, but it's been almost a decade since Drew Brees last accomplished it. Nobody has ever thrown for more. Needless to say, 12 would be unprecedented.

The Bears travel to Green Bay this week to take on a Packers team that has a playoff spot wrapped up but is still battling Washington for the 6-seed. That means that Matt LaFleur's team should still be trying its best, and considering that his Packers are in the midst of an 11-game winning streak against the Bears (the longest active streak in the league), that doesn't bode well for Williams' chances.

Green Bay will be without top corner Jaire Alexander, who hasn't played since leaving the Bears game in Week 11 with a knee injury. Even though Alexander only played 10 snaps in that game, Williams finished the game without a touchdown pass, and the Bears lost on a last-second blocked field goal.

The Packers have only allowed 22 touchdown passes all season. Throwing for 12 in one week to tie the rookie record would have to win Williams the award.

Switch to defensive end and sack Jordan Love five times

The Offensive Rookie of the Year award might be out of reach, but competition for Defensive Rookie of the Year is much less fierce. Rams defensive end Jared Verse seems to have the award locked up at the moment, but though there's no denying that he's been an impact player for a defense that badly needed one in the wake of Aaron Donald's retirement, he does only have 4.5 sacks for the season.

The Bears aren't exactly known for making smart decisions, so while moving Williams to defensive end seems highly unlikely, we wouldn't put it past this organization. Remember that this is the same team that handed the ball to backup offensive lineman Doug Kramer at the goal line in Washington earlier this year.

Does Williams have any pass-rushing moves? There's no way to know, but the fact that he's been sacked the fourth-most times in a single season in NFL history should give him a unique perspective on the matter. Williams has been taken down by bull rushes, spin moves and swim moves this year. If he absorbed any of that by osmosis, he could put it to use against Jordan Love, who was sacked three times by the Vikings last week.

Save the city of Green Bay from an alien invasion like Randy Quaid in Independence Day

It's becoming clear that there isn't much Williams can do in one week on the football field to win Rookie of the Year, so we're going to have to think bigger. In trying to come up with the most impactful thing he could possible do, naturally we had to turn to the big screen and Randy Quaid's world-saving performance in the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day.

For anyone that's been living under a rock for nearly three decades, in Independence Day Quaid plays Russell Casse, a Vietnam vet who's become known as the local kook due to his repeated claims of being abducted by aliens. When all hope seems to be lost for humanity, though, he steps up to save the day.

Casse ends up being the hero of the film as he flies a plane straight into the weak point of the alien ship, shouting as he does so, "In the words of my generation, up yours!"

Like Casse, Williams has had his share of detractors, only instead of being criticized for drinking too much or telling outlandish stories of alien encounters, he's been made fun of for painting his nails and appearing too emotional after losses.

Though the unusual number of drones flying over New Jersey still haven't been explained to anyone's satisfaction, we're not aware of an immediate alien threat to Green Bay or anywhere else in America. If there is one between now and Sunday though, Williams will have his chance, providing of course that Jeff Goldblum can upload a virus to the aliens first. Considering that the Rookie of the Year would have to be awarded posthumously, I speak for Bears fans everywhere when I say we hope this doesn't happen.