The Chicago Bears used more quick throws and pre-snap motion. Here’s how that helps Caleb Williams.

LAKE FOREST – Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams takes exception with the notion that the Bears dumbed down the offense last weekend against Green Bay.

In their first game with new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown running the show, Brown made a point to give Williams some quick-hitting plays. Williams recorded his quickest average time to throw of the season and his lowest air yards per attempt, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

But that doesn’t mean they put training wheels on for the rookie quarterback.

“I wouldn’t say they simplified it,” Williams said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “We didn’t reinvent the wheel for those three or four days that Thomas became the offensive coordinator and playcaller. I think the decisiveness, I think all of that came from, one, our meetings, and how we’re going to do things. I think it came from being able to get play calls in faster and being able to get up there and not feel like you’re rushed.”

I wouldn’t say they simplified it. We didn’t reinvent the wheel.”

—  Caleb Williams, Bears quarterback

Williams also noted after Sunday’s loss that Brown was reading the play call into his helmet as soon as the previous play ended. He was getting the call in earlier and repeating it often. That helped the Bears offense get to the line of scrimmage sooner.

When Shane Waldron was the coordinator, the Bears talked constantly about needing better communication. That is apparently one way Brown is fostering communication.

Getting the play call in early sounds like a little thing, but the more time a quarterback has at the line of scrimmage, the more time he has to assess what the defense looks like in front of him.

The result was a more effective offense. Despite the last-second loss, the Bears played one of their most efficient offensive games of the season against a tough Packers defense.

“I think communication, I think the attitude and I think us just going out there and being on the details for myself and for the whole team,” Williams said. “I think those three things would be huge for us.”

The Bears also used more pre-snap motion. Not only does that help a quarterback diagnose whether the defense is playing man-to-man or zone, but also it allows the offense to create mismatches.

“You want more of it before [the snap],” receiver DJ Moore said. “We did it this past weekend and you saw the mismatches that we had and getting people in space to go make plays. We want more of it. Does it make you more tired? Yeah, but oh well. It’s helping the team.”

Motion is beneficial for both the run and the pass. It can create better blocking angles in the run game. Teams that run the wide zone offense like Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers, Sean McVay’s Rams and Mike McDaniels’ Dolphins typically use motion more than other offenses.

Waldron and Brown both come from that same coaching tree. Both spent several years with McVay and the Rams. But when Brown took over the Bears offense last week, the team used motion about 10% more than it had been previously, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

“There’s advantages in the pass game,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “If you’re throwing perimeter screens you [could] get an extra blocker out there, wherever it might be. Or you’re creating the mismatch or the matchup that you want. And that’s why you do it.”

Moore was frequently the target of some of those short, quick passes. His air yards per target on seven targets averaged just 0.9 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. His season average is 9.0 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

The combination of the short passes and a more effective run game opened things up for Williams down the field. He was 4 for 9 for 74 yards on passes of 10 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage. A week earlier against New England, Williams didn’t complete a single pass beyond 10 yards.

The challenge will be replicating that success again and again. This week’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings is unique. Under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings blitz more than any other team in the NFL. The Vikings have the best-rated run defense in the league, plus the top interception rate and a top-10 sack rate.

“When they do bring those blitzes, [it’s about] being decisive, getting the ball out of my hands, getting it to my playmakers and then let them go break tackles, make plays and run down the sidelines,” Williams said. “I think it’s leaning on those guys is first and foremost.”

A heavy dose of short, quick passes could be in the game plan again this week.