Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was not listed on the Bears’ injury report today after suffering a minor ankle injury in the final moments of Arizona Cardinals game. The decision to leave Williams in an unwinnable game while taking a beating has the coach Matt Eberflus under the scrutiny of both the media and fans. While the decision remains extremely questionable, Williams appears to be in good health and fully prepared for Sunday’s showdown against the New England Patriots.

On Wednesday, Williams was asked if his recent play, physicality and continued hitting had affected his confidence. Williams’ response was intriguing.

“Break my trust?… um, I think one, I understand it’s part of the game. That’s the defense’s job to take me down. Yes, I also understand that I have to do better at certain moments when serving the ball. Understand the situation. It can be a third down, and those are times where you can hold the ball longer, but if there’s something underneath that could give us a first down… it drops control,” Williams said.

In the Cardinals game, Williams was seen showing visible frustration for the first time in his young career. While it hasn’t become a full-fledged label, discussions have begun about Williams’ body language and leadership abilities. It’s encouraging to immediately go out and allay some of those concerns. At the very least, it indicates that you understand the media. At his best, he is sincere and toughness is in his DNA.

Another topic discussed was Williams’ accuracy. Particularly on deep passes, the accuracy just hasn’t been there for Williams. On throws or 15 or more passing yards, Williams only completes 28 percent of those passes. The error rate is 55 percent and the yards per game on those attempts is 52.5. Those stats aren’t all about Williams, as these are low-percentage shots anyway. Schematically, there haven’t been many wide receivers for Williams, but keeping the ball in play is important.

“I wouldn’t say anything mechanically. I think I would just talk to him about the rhythm. The rhythm and timing of it. As it scans, you know, the first guy moves up to the fourth or fifth guy. That’s just normal quarterbacking and progressions. And just being cleaner with it, being more consistent with it. And when it does, it’s a good operation.” coach Matt Eberflus said of Williams’ accuracy and processing.

The good, the bad and the ugly have been etched for both Williams’ and the Chicago Bears’ offense, but the good news is that they are still a 4-4 team right now. A win over the Patriots on Sunday and the news cycle changes once again. The important thing is to stay the course, stay healthy and keep cutting.