The Las Vegas Raiders are reeling from back-to-back losses after starting the season with a Week 1 win. Hosting the Chicago Bears, they’ll be eager to halt the skid and return to the win column.
Their biggest challenge will be containing Caleb Williams, who enters Week 4 brimming with confidence after a dominant showing against the Dallas Cowboys in the 31-14 win.
Williams completed 19 of 28 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns, meaning the Raiders’ defense will need a strong performance to keep the USC product in check and secure a victory.
Heading into Week 4, Raiders defensive lineman Thomas Booker IV will be tasked with helping contain Williams and the Bears, aiming to get back to the level the unit showed against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
Booker shared what the defense needs to focus on to avoid surrendering big plays and letting Williams perform like he did against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3.
“I think [Williams is] starting to kind of figure it out—when he should stay in the pocket and when he should get out of there,” Booker told reporters on September 24. “In terms of being improvisational and scrambling, he can really make plays on the move. For us, it’s about containing him and creating as many opportunities as possible to keep him in the pocket, so he doesn’t get out and run wild. That’s what we’ll be focusing on this week.”
Raiders Are Aware of the Damage Caleb Williams Can Do
Booker isn’t the only one who knows what Williams can do to an opposing defense. Raiders head coach Pete Carroll also shared what he sees from the quarterback, whom he has been watching since his time at USC.
“I did watch him a lot [at USC] and had a chance to check him out,” Carroll told reporters on September 24. “He’s a very, very special athlete and he’s got great sense, great awareness about throwing the football and running the football. He’ll be a prolific scrambler, and by the time we check out his years, he’s really good at it and throws really well on the run, too.’
“They have a really nice system. You can see it already coming through. [Ben Johnson] is doing a nice job teaching these guys what he believes is important in offense. You can see that there are a lot of changes from last year. Caleb can do whatever you want him to do, so he’s a very dangerous player to play against.”
Raiders Defense on Alert
Earlier in the week, the Raiders received a warning from Bears head coach Ben Johnson of what Williams can do now that he’s finding his groove in the new offensive system.
“When the offensive line protects like that, it’s a lot easier to play from the pocket,” Johnson told the media on September 22 (h/t Marquee Sports Network). “I thought zero sacks. We had a very clean pocket for the most part. That’s a starting point. He’s got the ability to escape and extend and all that. But, man, if we can keep him in there, our playmakers are some dynamic route runners that we can get the ball to in space.
“I think he saw when he plays on time, he’s trusting the hitches, and we can be an explosive offense that way. There’s a lot of ways that Caleb Williams can hurt you. Like I said, when we have pass protection like we had against the Cowboys, that certainly helps.”