Earlier tonight, the NFL Communications Department released a press statement highlighting key moments from Sunday’s Week 6 games. Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was a standout after leading his team to a 35-16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Williams completed 23 of 29 passes (79.3%) for 226 yards, threw four touchdowns, and one interception, while also rushing for 56 yards on four carries. His efforts helped the Bears secure their third consecutive win, bringing their record to 4-2.
The press release included several impressive stats:
– Williams is the first rookie quarterback, selected No. 1 overall, to win four of his first six career starts in the common draft era.
– He became the fourth rookie quarterback to record at least four touchdown passes and 50 rushing yards in a game, joining Hall of Famer Troy Aikman (Dec. 3, 1989), Robert Griffin III (Nov. 18, 2012), and Deshaun Watson (Oct. 29, 2017).
– His 79.3% completion rate is the third-highest by a rookie quarterback in a game with at least four touchdown passes, behind only Robert Griffin III (93.3% in Week 11, 2012) and Marcus Mariota (86.7% in Week 1, 2015).
– Williams also became the first quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as well as the first rookie quarterback to throw multiple touchdown passes in an international regular-season game.
Additionally, the press release featured an NFC North stat that I tweeted out earlier.
The NFC North is the first division since the #NFL's 2002 realignment where all four teams have at least four wins through the season's first six weeks.#Vikings 5-0#Lions 4-1#Packers 4-2#Bears 4-2
— Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. (@wiltfongjr) October 14, 2024
A quick look at the league standings reveals that the four NFC North teams currently rank 1st through 4th in point differential. The Minnesota Vikings lead with +63, followed by the Detroit Lions at +60, the Chicago Bears at +47, and the Green Bay Packers at +41.
Williams finishes 23 of 29 for 79.3 percent — still the best completion percentage ever for an NFL rookie with four touchdown passes and 25+ passes in a game. https://t.co/EPnNWunkoV
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 13, 2024
Oh, and just to kill any excitement about the "all-time record" aspect of this — the old rookie mark was 75 percent, set in 1999 by … Cade McNown.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 13, 2024
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