Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams 'week to week' after injury against Vikings, Ben Johnson says
· Yahoo Sports
Caleb Williams is "week to week" after a hamstring injury in a Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, coach Ben Johnson told ESPN on Monday.
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Trainers rushed to Williams' side after he went down, struggling to stand before eventually coming out of the game.
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Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andrew Riff said depending on the severity, recovery time could take weeks.
"This was, really, sort of an overstriding-type injury, and that is classic for a hamstring strain," Riff said. "But, you know, ultimately, the fact that the mechanism wasn't too crazy wasn't. It was non-contact. I think that's reassuring."
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Denis Williams is very familiar with hamstring injuries.
"When you do it, you know it. It's extremely painful, no matter how severe it is," he said.
But after a thorough examination, including an MRI on Monday, it appears that injury is not nearly as serious as it could be. It is a grade one strain as opposed to grade 3, which would be a complete tear.
Backup Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent stepped in to finished the game as the Chicago team fell to the Vikings 9-3. Bagent would be first in line to step in for Williams when the Bears face the Philadelphia Eagles at home next Monday night.
"Bagent has talent and grit.I wouldn't write the Bears off with Bagent," said Dan Pompei with The Athletic.
Williams' injury led to a Monday morning busy with fans and experts calling in at the 104.3 The Score, all of whom are expecting Williams to be out. The question is for how long and if the team can rally around Bagent in the meantime.
"Everybody's body heals differently, so that's the hard part. It could be two to three weeks. It could be two weeks," The Score's Jarrett Payton said. "You have to have faith in Tyson Bagent that he can be a guy that can kind of be a game manager. He doesn't have the arm that Caleb has, but they're also going to have to rely on this Bears running game as well, which they did before last year in Philadelphia."
Williams' injury report is topic number one on sports talk radio on Monday, and for good reason.
"Caleb is going to be your quarterback for the next 10 to 12 years. You want Caleb being the guy that's developing with everyone else moving forward," said ESPN 1000 co-host John Jurkovic.
Williams will get the best medical treatment available. And while the Bears say they are not ruling him out for their next game, doctors ABC7 spoke with say it is important not to rush him back but to make sure he's fully healed before returning to the field.
"The biggest fear is re-injury," Riff said. "There is a high risk of recurrent strain."
A study of NFL players with hamstring injuries found they are quite common.But it is important to make sure they are fully healed. One in three players apparently came back too soon and reinjured themselves.
If Williams isn't ready to play this upcoming week, it will be the first time he has missed a game in his NFL career.