Caleb Williams Injury 2026: Hamstring MRI Pending, Bears Line Flips

Caleb Williams had a clear path to the end zone with 8:30 left and the Bears trailing 6-3 when his right hamstring gave out. He went down without being touched, was carted to the locker room, and Chicago lost 9-3 to the Vikings without scoring again.

The Caleb Williams injury 2026 question now hangs over Chicago's season. The MRI is scheduled for Monday, the Bears are 1-1, and the 2-0 Eagles come to Chicago for Monday Night Football on September 28. Sportsbooks did not wait for the scan.

Caleb Williams injury 2026: what happened against Minnesota

Per ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Williams ran left on a bootleg in the fourth quarter and went down awkwardly. Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who was chasing him, said he dove, missed, and then Williams went down, per ESPN.

NFL.com reported that Williams grabbed his right leg, appeared to be in pain, and was carted to the locker room. He did not return.

Williams finished 15 of 26 for 138 yards with one interception and three sacks taken, plus 42 rushing yards on five carries. ESPN noted he was 1-for-4 on throws of 10 or more air yards before the injury.

Tyson Bagent took over inside the Minnesota red zone. He threw back-to-back incompletions from the 12-yard line, and per ProFootballTalk, was sacked by Dallas Turner on fourth-and-2 from the Minnesota 12 to end the game. All 12 points in the game came on field goals.

What the Bears have said, and what they have not

Head coach Ben Johnson addressed the injury after the game. He said the team would know more Monday and that he was relieved it was not a knee injury, per ESPN.

He was not pretending a hamstring is minor. Johnson acknowledged a hamstring injury can be damaging too, per CBS Sports, and said the Bears badly needed points at that stage of the game.

There are two encouraging signals, and neither is a diagnosis. NFL.com reported that Williams was seen walking without crutches in the locker room, and Johnson said his quarterback was in good spirits. ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reported Sunday night that the initial hope is a Grade 1 strain, which he described as the lowest level, with minimal tearing of the muscle fibers.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andrew Riff, speaking to ABC7 Chicago, focused on the mechanism. Riff described it as an overstriding-type injury, which he said is classic for a hamstring strain. He called the non-contact nature of it reassuring. ABC7 added that, depending on the severity, recovery could take weeks.

The important caveat comes from Florio's same report: even if the MRI shows only a Grade 1 strain, Williams may not be ready in eight days. The Bears have not given a timeline.

Tyson Bagent is the plan if Williams sits

If Williams cannot go against Philadelphia, Bagent starts. Bagent started four games as a rookie in 2023 and went 2-2, and ProFootballTalk noted the Bears signed him to a two-year, $10 million extension last year.

Florio reported that the Bears have a high degree of confidence in him. Bagent's own review of Sunday was blunt. He said he has to execute better once the offense gets into scoring range, per ESPN.

The Eagles are 2-0 after a 24-20 comeback win over Tennessee, and a Bears offense that managed three points with its starter for most of the game now might face that defense with its backup.

Betting impact: the line moved before the MRI

The market has already priced in an absence. Per SI Betting's Peter Dewey on September 21, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Bears as 1.5-point home favorites on the lookahead line, and that number flipped to Philadelphia -4.5 after the injury. That is a six-point swing on a scan that has not been read.

Other books landed in the same neighborhood. FanDuel Sportsbook opened the Bears at +3.5 on September 20, per Windy City Gridiron. The Bears moneyline was +168 at FanDuel, per Windy City Gridiron, with a total of 43.5. SI relayed Caesars Sportsbook's moves as well: Chicago went from -2.5 to +3.5 for Week 3, and from +2000 to +2800 to win the Super Bowl. SI also reported on September 21 that DraftKings shifted the Bears to +154 to make the playoffs.

Three practical notes for bettors:

1. The current spread assumes Bagent. If the MRI comes back Grade 1 and Williams practices late in the week, expect the number to move back toward Chicago. If the news is worse, the futures prices have further to fall than the Week 3 spread does. 2. A total of 43.5 already reflects an offense that scored three points on Sunday. Wait for the quarterback news before touching it. 3. In fantasy, Williams managers need a Week 3 replacement plan today. The Monday night kickoff makes a game-time decision close to unusable, since there are no later games to pivot to.

For model-driven reads on the full Week 3 board once the injury news settles, the StatSniper AI sports picks hub updates as lines move. For the broader quarterback awards picture, see our look at the NFL MVP odds quarterback market.

What to watch next

The MRI result is first, and it should come Monday. Johnson told reporters the team would know the severity then. The grade sets the timeline.

Second is the Bears' practice report. With a Monday night game, the participation reads that matter come late in the week.

Third is the number itself. If Eagles -4.5 holds or grows after the MRI news, the market is telling you Bagent is starting. The full injury story is on ESPN, and StatSniper will track how the Week 3 projection changes once the Bears name a starter.

FAQ

What do we know about the Caleb Williams injury 2026? Williams suffered a right hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of the Bears' 9-3 loss to the Vikings on September 20, 2026. It was a non-contact injury on a bootleg run, and he was carted to the locker room. An MRI was scheduled for Monday, September 21.

How long will Caleb Williams be out? The Bears have not given a timeline. ProFootballTalk reported the initial hope is a Grade 1 strain, the lowest level, but added that even a Grade 1 could leave him unavailable for the September 28 game against the Eagles. ABC7 Chicago reported recovery could take weeks depending on severity.

Who is the Bears backup quarterback? Tyson Bagent. He started four games as a rookie in 2023, going 2-2, and signed a two-year, $10 million extension last year.

How did the Caleb Williams injury change the Bears vs Eagles odds? Per SI Betting on September 21, DraftKings Sportsbook moved from Bears -1.5 on the lookahead line to Eagles -4.5, and Caesars lengthened the Bears' Super Bowl price from +2000 to +2800. FanDuel opened Chicago at +3.5 with a 43.5 total on September 20, per Windy City Gridiron.

---

*21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Stat Sniper provides data and projections for informational purposes; you are responsible for your own wagers.*