The Chicago Bears faced an early injury scare against the Minnesota Vikings after quarterback Caleb Williams was helped off the field following a run.
NFL insider Jonathan Jones provided an initial update on the situation, reporting:
"Caleb Williams is being helped off the field with an apparent right foot/lower leg injury. Non contact."
What happened to Caleb Williams?
With the Bears and Vikings separated by just three points at 6-3 late in the fourth quarter, Chicago’s quarterback took off on a scramble toward the end zone.
The Bears quarterback went down on the play and later being taken off the field on a cart. He was reportedly in significant pain, writhing and screaming after the slide. The 24-year-old immediately appeared to be dealing with a lower-body issue and struggled to put any weight on his right leg.
{{/usCountry}}The Bears quarterback went down on the play and later being taken off the field on a cart. He was reportedly in significant pain, writhing and screaming after the slide. The 24-year-old immediately appeared to be dealing with a lower-body issue and struggled to put any weight on his right leg.
{{/usCountry}}With Williams unable to continue, Tyson Bagent stepped in at quarterback for Chicago against the Vikings.
Williams sustained right hamstring injury
Initially, there was no official confirmation regarding the severity or exact nature of Williams’ injury. However, medical professional Dr. Jesse Morse shared his assessment of the incident on X.
Morse believes Williams may be dealing with a right hamstring strain. He also explained the potential severity of the injury and how it could affect the quarterback’s availability moving forward.
“This is probably a grade 2 hamstring strain, which is a partial tear, but there’s a possibility this is a grade 3, which is what happened to Dak Prescott, that required season-ending surgery. Those aren’t common but possible,” he tweeted.
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NFL insider Adam Schefter later reported that, according to the Bears, Williams suffered a right hamstring injury.
“Bears say Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury,” Schefter wrote on X.
Fans blame Madden curse for injury
A wave of concern quickly swept through the Bears community as fans took to social media to express their fears over the possibility of a serious injury.
One fan suggested a possible diagnosis, writing, "Torn achilles… "
Another X account claimed, “Unfortunately Best case scenario achilis out 1 month minimum.”
The incident also brought the long-running Madden curse discussion back into the spotlight. Williams was selected as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 27, and some fans immediately connected the honor to his injury scare.
"Madden curse strikes again," one user commented.
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The Madden curse is a long-standing fan theory based on the belief that players featured on the cover of the video game have subsequently suffered serious injuries or experienced a notable decline in performance.
A fan tweeted, “The Madden curse lives on with Caleb Williams getting injured”.
Another X account echoed the sentiment, "That goddamn Madden Curse…"
The frustration over the game continued, with another fan writing, “Madden Curse snatched my QB... Delete that f--king game forever”