Everybody knew that Caleb Williams was mobile. He’d proven it many times in college, using his legs to escape pressure and buy time for big plays down the field. Taking off and running was also something he could do, but it wasn’t typically utilized by him as a regular part of the game plan. It was more of a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency thing. However, it feels like there’s been a shift in recent weeks. Through the first seven games, Williams had 35 runs for 130 yards and two touchdowns. In the past two games, he has 13 runs for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Something has changed. DJ Moore provided an answer.
The wide receiver revealed after the win over the Giants that Williams got a green light from head coach Ben Johnson to run more. It wasn’t just because it was something the quarterback could do. It was largely due to the type of coverage that defenses were playing.
“I think he got the green light to go ahead and use his legs more,” Moore said, “because teams are playing like the two-mans, quarters and man-to-mans, so he can just be able to get out there with his legs and be another weapon.”
Those coverages are designed to squeeze opposing passing attacks and limit explosive plays. In those situations, the best thing to counter them is to run the ball. In the absence of a straight hand-off, nothing is more effective than the quarterback taking off.
The game proved this.
On one of the pivotal plays of that 4th quarter comeback, Chicago was at New York’s 31. The Giants showed man coverage across the board against a four-receiver set. Williams reads a blitz coming. That meant the second linebacker would be covering D’Andre Swift, leaving nobody to account for the quarterback. Williams took off for 29 yards, setting up a touchdown to close the gap 20-17.
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Caleb Williams got them again on the next drive, this time with help from Johnson.
Once again, New York shows blitz. What he needed to know was whether they were playing man or zone coverage. Cole Kmet goes in motion, and #27 travels with him. That signaled it was man coverage. Johnson had a bootleg fake called. Durham Smythe was then sent in late motion, making it look like a Swift run. That would leave Brian Burns free. If Caleb Williams could make him miss, he’d have a clear path around the edge for a big gain. That is precisely what happens.
A perfectly-timed block from Kmet down the field enables Williams to take it the distance for the game-winning touchdown. This is why watching film is so important. It provides coaches with details on what opponents want to do on defense and how they will likely deploy to counter your team’s biggest strengths. While teams respected Caleb’s mobility, they didn’t play as if they felt he was a true rushing threat. So Johnson decided to change that.