Bear Digest

Maybe Caleb Williams Needs a Recount After Loss to Jayden Daniels

Analysis: Jayden Daniels won the Pepsi Zero Sugar rookie of the week award for the fifth time and beat Caleb Williams out even with a loss and inferior statistics.

Gene Chamberlain

Jayden Daniels looks to get rid of the ball with the Baltimore rush closing in last week.
Jayden Daniels looks to get rid of the ball with the Baltimore rush closing in last week. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Week 8 Bears road game Oct. 27 against the Washington Commanders doesn't really need more hype.

It will keep building, though, when the quarterback matchup is Caleb Williams against Jayden Daniels. It kind of got some more courtesy of the people with the NFL/Pepsi and voters on NFL.com Thursday.

A little more fuel was poured on the fire when Williams couldn't win Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week for Week 6 over Daniels, even after winning a game with excellent statistics while the Commanders QB was losing with inferior statistics.

Fans voted on this award, just as they voted on the FedEx Air and Ground Player of the Week won by Williams and Green Bay's Jordan Love for Week 6.

WHY ACHIEVING TOP 5 RANKING LOOKS UNLIKELY FOR BEARS DEFENSE

PUTTING UP POINTS MUST BE BEARS IDENTITY WITH WHAT'S AHEAD

VIRGINIA MCCASKEY AMONG THOSE NAMED FOR HALL OF FAME CONSIDERATION

BEARS TAKE HUGE LEAP FORWARD IN ON SI POWER RANKINGS

It almost seems Daniels has a contract with Pepsi Zero after this week. He has won the award five of the six weeks this season.

The nominees were Daniels, Williams, Drake Maye, Bucky Irving, Tyrone Tracy and Tykee Smith.

Daniels completed 24 of 35 for 269 yards (68.6%) with two touchdowns, a long throw of 28 yards for a passer rating of 110.3, and 7.68 yards an attempt. Daniels ran for 22 yards on six attempts. He was bested by Lamar Jackson (20 of 26, 323 yards, 114.7 rating) and the Ravens in the game 30-23.

Williams went 23 of 29 (79.3%) for 226 yards (7.79 yards/attempt) with four touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 124.4. His long completion was 31 yards. Williams also ran for 56 yards on four attempts, including a 23-yarder. The Bears won 35-16.

It's safe to wonder if the voting process needs to be altered if Williams' effort in a win last week could be deemed inferior to Daniels' in a loss.

Maybe a recount? It is political season, after all.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.