‘Realistic’ Emmanuel Acho wants Caleb Williams to lead Bears to the playoffs in his rookie year

During the recent episode of Speak, analyst Emmanuel Acho predicted that Caleb Williams just needs to keep the Bears among the 3-4 teams who will fight for the final spot for the NFC playoffs.

‘Realistic’ Emmanuel Acho wants Caleb Williams to lead Bears to the playoffs in his rookie year

Emmanuel Acho predicts Caleb Williams to lead the Chicago Bears into the play offs (Image via IMAGO/ X)

Even though Caleb Williams never competed in post-season football during his college days, analysts expect the 2024 first-overall pick to lead the Chicago Bears into the playoffs. FOX Sports Emmanuel Acho is one of them.

Unlike last year, when the NFC wasn’t counted as a strong conference, this year things are different, especially in the NFC North. Last season, the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers took the NFL by surprise after beating the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys, respectively.

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Both teams are favorites to qualify, but the Bears may create some problems. Emmanuel Acho, in the recent episode of Speak, chose three teams, including the 49ers, the Eagles, and the Buccaneers, to play in NFC playoff games, and one of the three, the Packers, Lions, and Bears, to join them.

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Acho wants Caleb Williams and the Bears to be ‘realistically’ among the group challenging for the final spot apart from the Cowboys, Falcons, and Rams. So, hypothetically, 5 to 6 teams will fight for the final playoff spot.

Although Acho refrained from putting pressure on the USC graduate, for a rookie season similar to the Texans’ CJ Stroud, he definitely believes Williams can take the Bears into the postseason for the first time since 2020.

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Which games must the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams win?

According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Bears have the third-easiest schedule besides the Chargers and the Falcons. Last season, they had a 7-10 record with the 4th easiest schedule. So, they are banking on Caleb Williams to replicate the form that made him the best quarterback in college.

'Realistic' Emmanuel Acho wants Caleb Williams to lead Bears to the playoffs in his rookie year
Caleb Williams (Image via IMAGO)

General manager Ryan Poles pulled out all the stops to make sure Williams had all the weapons he needed. Besides returning DJ Moore, Poles signed veteran Keenan Allen and added former Washington receiver Rome Odunze 9th overall in the draft. However, a strong squad doesn’t guarantee wins; they have to secure W’s to reach the playoffs.

They will face several teams that finished below .500 in 2023. In week one, the Bears will play the Tennessee Titans, who finished bottom of the AFC South with just 6 wins and lost their best-attacking threat, running back Derrick Henry, in the offseason.

Carolina Panthers is another team that was down in the dumps last term. Rookie Bryce Young capitulated early and failed to recover. Despite appointing Dave Canales, under whom both Geno Smith (Seattle) and Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay) played like Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks, Young doesn’t appear to fall in the same category.

The Bears will not face any of their divisional rivals until Week 11, when they face the Packers. If Caleb Williams wants to establish himself as an NFL quarterback, then he must win this game.

Then they play the Minnesota Vikings in weeks 12 and 15, another side with a rookie quarterback. Even though the Vikings have arguably the best receiver in the game, they have the fifth-hardest schedule. Psychology will play a massive part in this tie.

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