NFC Notes: Caleb Williams, Dan Campbell, David Montgomery, Bears, Lions

Bears

The Bears dropped to 4-10 following Week 15’s loss to the Vikings. Chicago QB Caleb Williams said that losing “really affects me” but understands he’s still developing as a rookie. 

“Losing is one of those things that really affects me,” Williams said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “It’s tough. But I do have the understanding of where I’m at in my career and where I’ll be at. Having that [understanding] is important for me, myself internally, because internally it’s tough. Internally, when tough times happen, just human nature is to do the opposite of what you’re doing or what you’ve been doing and all these different things. The toughest part is fighting yourself, especially when there’s tough times.”

Williams is keeping track of areas he wants to improve going forward, noting pre-snap reads, footwork and recognizing more defenses. 

“I would say all from pre-snap stuff to even post-snap, whether it’s footwork, whether it’s pre-snap and recognizing what they’re in, if they rotate to here, how fast can I get to this, how fast can I get to that route, this alert, that alert,” Williams said. “So, I got a good amount of stuff that I’m planning on going over.”

Williams said he’s staying self-motivating and reassuring himself of his abilities despite going through a rough patch. 

“This is going to sound crazy, but you talk to yourself, to be honest,” Williams said. “You motivate yourself, you encourage yourself. You have positive affirmations, is the word, that you say to yourself. With that, it makes the days better, it makes when you’re going through a tough patch, it makes those days a little bit easier rather than pulling yourself down, telling yourself you’re this and that.

Lions

The Lions kicked an onside kick down 10 with 12 minutes to play which set up a short field for another Bills touchdown in Week 15. Detroit HC Dan Campbell admitted he made the wrong call to go for the onside kick instead of putting his defense back on the field. 

“Obviously, now sitting here in hindsight, after them taking it down to the [five]-yard line, yeah, I wish I wouldn’t have done that,” Campbell said, via Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News. “But it is what it is.”

Lions

Lions RB David Montgomery said they haven’t completely ruled out the possibility of returning from his MCL injury this season. 

“We don’t know. We’re kind of working through the logistics right now. Things may change,” Montgomery said, via the team’s X. “I hope so.”

• Detroit HC Dan Campbell explained they haven’t placed Montgomery on injured reserve because he is getting a third opinion on his knee, per Tim Twentyman.