Caleb Williams has swiftly become the laughingstock of the NFL after the Bears quarterback grew emotional following a seemingly serious injury, only to later be considered week-to-week
Caleb Williams struggled to fight back tears after crumpling to the turf during Sunday's game
Caleb Williams struggled to fight back tears after crumpling to the turf during Sunday's game(Image: Getty Images)
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Step aside, J.J. McCarthy. There’s a new meme making waves across the NFL.
Nearly one year after “Nine,” McCarthy’s game-day alter ego, became a go-to meme, Caleb Williams has taken over as the league’s laughingstock. With just under eight minutes remaining in the Chicago Bears’ 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the star quarterback evaded a diving defender before coming up awkwardly and crumpling to the turf.
Williams proceeded to writhe in agony and scream towards the sky as a hushed silence fell over Soldier Field. The 24-year-old struggled to fight back tears while being driven towards the locker room on an injury cart minutes later, emphatically pumping his fist and hiding his face behind a towel.
Though Williams’ emotional reaction appeared to indicate that he suffered a serious injury, Bears head coach Ben Johnson revealed that the signal-caller is considered “week-to-week” with a right hamstring injury.
Speaking to reporters, Johnson disclosed that the initial results from Williams’ MRI were “somewhat encouraging,” leaving his status for the Bears’ Week 3 clash against the Philadelphia Eagles next Monday up in the air.
"He's right now working through every avenue that he's got available to get back on track here,” Johnson said of Williams. “We'll see what that looks like.
“Here's what I know. This guy's a little bit different than the average human being. I said that last night, I'll double down on that. He gets back — he has in the past — a lot faster than what people can anticipate and so I'm not putting a timeline on this.
Caleb Williams is considered week-to-week after suffering a hamstring injury
Caleb Williams is considered week-to-week after suffering a hamstring injury(Image: Getty Images)
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“We're going to say week-to-week. He's going to attack this with everything that he knows.”
Following the encouraging diagnosis, It didn’t take long for droves of NFL fans to poke fun at Williams.
Clips of Williams being carted off the field quickly made the rounds on social media, accompanied by sarcastic captions about the minor inconveniences X users had overcome.
“Me after Googling my symptoms finding out I only have a few more days to live,” one person wrote, with another adding: “Me accepting a Diet Pepsi if they don’t serve Diet Coke.”
A third chimed in, “Me after sleeping on the uncomfortable couch in the hospital after my wife gives birth.”
Not everyone was laughing about Williams’ reaction, however, as OutKick’s Craig Carton slammed the USC product for acting like he sustained a season-ending injury.
“Caleb Williams is acting and reacting like he tore his Achilles or he blew up his knee,” Carton said on the latest edition of ‘The Craig Carton Show.’ “He’s crying. He can’t get off the field on his own power.
“And then he’s got the proverbial Gatorade towel covering his face. ‘I don’t want my momma to see me like this. I don’t want people to see me like this.’ Then, as they were driving him off the field, this has become a thing — it’s usually for guys you’re worried have a significant neck injury or he might be paralyzed.
"Then, a brave man who raises his hand and gives a fist to the crowd, or maybe the thumbs up like, ‘I’m going to be OK, Billy!’
"He acted like his career ended, and that’s why as good a quarterback as he might be one day … the reality is this: you’re going to root for him because you have no choice if you’re a Bears fan. You’re not going to root for him because you like him.
"You’re not going to root for him because he encapsulates what the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears should encapsulate, like a Jim McMahon. A man’s man.”