CHICAGO — Six days after missing an open Keenan Allen rushing toward the end zone in Minnesota, Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams capitalized on a second chance on the same play.

Just before halftime of Chicago’s game against the Detroit Lions in Week 16, Williams saw Allen fake a header and make the same double move to create separation. This time Williams didn’t hesitate. He fired a pass that Allen caught for a 45-yard touchdown.

It was one of Williams’ best throws of the season, even though the Bears suffered their ninth straight loss. That was the narrative of Williams’ season in general: individual growth against a backdrop of team dysfunction and failure. Consider that despite the second-longest losing streak in franchise history, Williams has set an NFL record for most passes (326) without an interception by a rookie quarterback, and if he keeps up that pace, he’ll finish tied for third land. the most passing yards in Bears history.

“Keep going,” coach Thomas Brown said of Williams’ approach. “Shooters shoot, and he definitely shoots, which I appreciate. So I’m going to give him opportunities to shoot.”

Against the Lions, Williams recorded his fourth game with at least 300 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. This equals the mark set by Mitchell Trubisky in 2018 for the most such plays by a Bears quarterback in a single season in the last 20 years.

Williams did it after recovering from two fumbles in the first half and led three scoring drives on a day when the Bears’ offense looked better than it had in weeks. Her 14 first-half points were the most since a Week 6 win over Jacksonville.

In recent weeks, Williams has accumulated the majority of his pass production while playing from behind. While Williams was quick to admit he doesn’t put much stock in his stats, the type of development the rookie is showing in a losing season hasn’t been lost on his teammates.

“You have moral victories, moral victories,” Allen said. “It’s good to score a goal.

“Obviously it’s important to just be productive on offense, get better, get Caleb more reps, see different things on defense and ultimately just be able to get better as the season goes on.”

In 15 games, Williams has thrown for 3,271 yards, the sixth-most in a single season in franchise history. If he continues his season average of 218.1 passing yards in Chicago’s next two games against Seattle (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) and Green Bay (Jan. 5), he will finish with around 3,707 yards.

Williams may not erase the Bears’ reputation as the only NFL franchise to never have a 4,000-yard passer or a QB who passed for 30 touchdowns, but considering he left the offensive coordinators and head coaches in the middle of the season While he was sacked 60 times, the most in the entire league, his transition to the NFL came with unique obstacles.

“There’s no doubt this guy is talented,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said last week. “I remember standing on the sideline in the last game (against the Bears on Nov. 28) and hearing the ball whistle past me.

“He has a pretty fast ball, is creative, can extend plays and is also precise on the field.”

Johnson, one of the hottest names of this coaching cycle, is expected to be pursued by the Bears. And Williams’ presence is perhaps the most attractive aspect of the job.

In fact, Williams played some of his best football before Johnson. In two games against Detroit, Williams has 681 passing yards, five touchdown passes and no interceptions.

According to NFL Research, Williams has lost nine starts in which he didn’t throw an interception. That’s the most such losses in a single season since 1950. His 326 passes without turning the ball over are 100 more attempts than the previous rookie streak held by Kyler Murray (211) of the Arizona Cardinals. Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets holds the overall record at 402.

There are certain areas where Williams has seen the most growth. In Week 16, the rookie had his best game as a downfield passer, going 6 of 8 for 160 yards and a touchdown on throws of more than 15 air yards. He routinely put the ball in the hands of his playmakers and threw for a career-high 286 yards to his wide receivers. Allen (694 receiving yards), DJ Moore (826) and Rome Odunze (701) make up the only group of wide receivers ranked in the top 50 in receiving yards.

And with a heavy dose of play-action against the Lions, Brown’s playcalling helped the quarterback set a career-high with 12 play-action pass attempts, throwing for 109 yards and a touchdown.

All of this has led to a season unlike anything a rookie quarterback has ever experienced in Chicago. And with two weeks left, Williams is trying to iron out the details. When asked about specific areas he focused on improving before the offseason, the quarterback addressed several issues.

“The fumbles I’ve had for two to three weeks now. I think turnovers are obviously a part of the game, but trying to eliminate them only increases our chances of winning,” said Williams, who has lost four fumbles on the season. “Being able to continue to be efficient as best I can, and that doesn’t just mean when I’m throwing the football. That’s with all the warnings, the time, the play clock, making sure the cadence and things like that help get offensive linemen out, whatever the case may be.