Caleb Williams came close to shifting blame.

Then he changed his mind.

The Chicago Bears’ rookie quarterback didn’t deny that he lost a fumble in the third quarter. But for a moment he didn’t feel good about owning it.

What happened to the pass he started to throw and instead lost it with a move that went far enough back to warrant a fumble?

“In terms of timing, we were a little bit off, myself,” Williams said after a 38-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “So I threw the ball and the timing was a little off. I was holding the ball and my hand still came forward and it was ruled a fumble.”

The play in question was far from the Bears’ first mistake.

Yes, the Bears missed a chance to cut the lead to just a touchdown (plus a successful 2-point conversion), and the field goal ended that drive in the end zone rather than a turnover. Instead, the 49ers took advantage of their big possession and marched 62 yards in five plays, extending their lead to 25 points.

But ESPN analysis detailing the win probability at every point in the game shows how unlikely a comeback already was. According to the ESPN model, the Bears had a 4.9% chance of winning before the fumble. After that, they had a 1.7% chance.

So Williams’ correction from “we” to “I” in accepting responsibility wasn’t about accurately reflecting how devastating that snap was after the first half for a Chicago team struggling after the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus tried to regroup in its first game was far weaker.

Rather, Williams’ correction is important because it reflected an understanding that the full context of the piece may not have been the best answer to communicate at that moment.

Did Williams’ receiver suddenly misdirect on a route, causing hesitation on a throw he essentially stopped throwing? Did Williams’ guard slip to the wrong side, thereby not giving him enough time to develop the route Williams wanted to throw on that second-and-8 play call?

Perhaps even interim coach Thomas Brown, who called Chicago’s plays in his fourth game and also directed the entire operation in his first game, didn’t make the play call in a way that Williams fully understood. None of that was the point.

What mattered about Williams’ response was that he embraced responsibility rather than shying away from it.

After Brown took the blame in comments to the locker room and reporters alike, Williams perhaps realized he, too, had more to gain than lose by accepting responsibility.

“I’ll start with what I discussed with the team: We kicked each other’s butts,” Brown began his first postgame press conference as head coach. “We will always be direct, honest and open about the things that happened.”

The Bears fell apart early and then couldn’t regroup quickly enough

A popular football saying goes: No game is over until the clock runs out.

Coaches like to preach that it could just as easily be 0-0 at halftime and players should refine their effort and concentration accordingly.

Well, Chicago had zero points. But San Francisco had 24.

The Bears had 4 yards as a team in the first half, their smallest gain since 1991. And they allowed 319 yards to the 49ers before halftime, which, according to broadcast graphics, was the largest halftime difference of any NFL game this season at 315 yards.

According to TruMedia Sports, the Bears’ 0.2 yards per play was the third-fewest a team had averaged in the first half since 2012.

Brown was then asked: How is he coping with the massive divide?

“I don’t,” he said. “We got our asses kicked. As I said, I didn’t stay on the pitch offensively. Didn’t convert on third down. And obviously we gave off too many explosives on defense.”

The problems the Bears faced were varied. Some reflected Chicago’s weaknesses, while others more closely reflected the 49ers’ strengths. On offense, the Bears relied too heavily on the pass in the first half and found themselves in awkward distances on third down. Williams recorded seven sacks, remaining the most sacked player in the league.

On defense, the 49ers relied on a plan that tight end George Kittle said he had used against teams drafted by Eberflus during the coach’s time as defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts and head coach of the Bears and now against neither.

“They do a lot of things with their stunts to increase their pressure, and we knew that if we could catch them on screen doing that, they would be completely unhinged,” Kittle said after a monster day which they died He managed 151 yards on just six targets. “They just played completely upfield and then our offense did a great job blocking.

“The way they came forward, like our defense, we thought we could take advantage of that.”

The Bears opened the third quarter more smoothly, with the run-pass balance leading to efficiency on first and second downs that ultimately led to a nine-plus minute touchdown drive.

Chicago’s defense forced a three-pointer immediately afterward, another hint of a second-half comeback that could resemble the Bears’ recent slow starts. Ten days earlier, the Detroit Lions beat Chicago 16-0 in the first half before the Bears scored 23 points in the second half to Detroit’s seven.

Williams found receiver Rome Odunze for 17 yards, building chemistry between the fellow rookies who would also combine for two touchdowns at Levi’s Stadium. He found Keenan Allen for 14 and fumbled 2 yards out of bounds.

Williams then completed his throw, but turned around as he let the ball slip, causing the ball to retreat backward instead of advancing forward as defensive lineman Evan Anderson approached. The repeat test confirmed an error.

At second glance, Williams also confirmed one thing.

“We started to get something going and I think I fumbled the ball at the end,” Williams said, before reconsidering his wording and opting for a clearer delivery. “I don’t think I fumbled the ball at the end. And from there our momentum and things like that started to die down and they started scoring points again. When you have points from ball losses and are already on the ground, it’s tough.

“We have to tighten the screws and get to the point. That didn’t happen today.”

What can Chicago build on here?

Accountability will not win Bears games. Neither will ongoing misunderstandings and business interruptions.

Brown declined to blame the quick turnaround, instead saying, “I’m not apologizing” and that he would be most focused on the outcome of a loss.

But Kittle’s comments about what went well for the 49ers stood in stark contrast to the Bears’ situation.

The tight end talked about how three years in the system helped Brock Purdy have his day with 325 yards and two touchdowns, while Kittle’s veteran status worked to his advantage rather than his detriment.

“(Purdy) is very comfortable in this offense now and I’ve been running it for eight years. So it’s fun to be back there and just know, ‘Hey, I’m going to get the ball no matter what,’ so if the ball hits.” “I think coach (Kyle) Shanahan calls plays, and when you If you call plays and guess correctly against certain defenses, you just end up completely wide open.” Sometimes.”

Williams, meanwhile, delved deep into his Rolodex of euphemisms to describe how the musical chairs coaching staff affected the staff’s effectiveness in communicating with him.

“When there are these promotions, when there are these situations that we’ve had with coaching layoffs and things like that, people are earning new jobs or getting promoted to new jobs and there are new things they have to deal with,” Williams said. “So if you need to add more to what you’re already doing and it’s something new and live bullets are flying, it’s going to happen every now and then – things will happen, communication will be different than it was before,” the previous position, in who you were because you have a lot more to do.

“But I think we coped well with the situation that arose today.”

The Bears didn’t perform well, especially in the first half, when they fell into a hole so deep that it was statistically unlikely they would get out. And Williams didn’t do a good job of turning the ball over to exacerbate the hole. The next score also reflected the defense’s inability to stop the Niners.

But a better second half than the first half proves that Chicago has to keep fighting, and the openness of the head coach and quarterback can continue to help Chicago develop habits, even if they are not in favor, of many more wins over their current team to get out 4-9 record.

“I have to do a better job of implementing a better game plan on both sides of the ball so they can play better and obviously continue to challenge our guys to be their best,” Brown said. “Encourage these people and demand that we continue to remain united. It’s a grown man’s thing: There’s no lying down or giving up on our football team, which I really love.

“The aim is to win football games and we didn’t win. That will be my sole focus today and in the future.”