16. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
How about Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears? Now 5-3 on the season, the Bears got back on track with a dramatic win over the Cincinnati Bengals, as Williams hit Colston Loveland on a late-game touchdown to seal the deal for Chicago.
Williams now has 12 touchdowns against just four picks this year and is definitely taking a bit of a leap. The completion percentage has gone down a bit, and Williams isn’t going to go very far completing under 62% of his passes, and that really seems like the bare minimum in the modern-day NFL.
The Bears being 5-3 really sets themselves up nicely to clinch a Wild Card spot late in the season. Of their nine remaining games, they might only have to go 5-4 to make it in. With the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions each losing in Week 9, the Bears earning their fifth win gives them the same amount as Green Bay and Detroit.
It’s still probably a year too early for Caleb Williams and the Bears this year, but he’s played well in his second year in the NFL and is on the right track to become a franchise QB for a team desperate for one.
15. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
What we have to understand in today’s NFL is that there is simply a ton of parity, and not every game is going to be easy. Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos did what they wanted to on offense last week against the Dallas Cowboys but did not play well in Week 9 against the Houston Texans.
Games like this happen, as I bet both the Broncos and Texans expected this game to go like it did, but Nix did throw two touchdown passes and led a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. Nix is clearly a clutch player, as the Denver Broncos are now winners of six games in a row and tied with the Colts and Patriots for the best record in the AFC.
Nix now has 17 touchdown passes against six interceptions this year, so he has kept the ball out of harm’s way and is a lot further along than he was during his rookie season. With the win, Nix also moves to 17-9 as a starter, which is a sensational record.
The Broncos will be just fine - this game was going to happen.