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Caleb Williams avoids major hamstring injury as MRI reveals a strain but no tear after Vikings game scare

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Cite

Salguero, A. (2026, September 21). Caleb Williams avoids major hamstring injury as MRI reveals a strain but no tear after Vikings game scare. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/caleb-williams-avoids-hamstring-injury-mri-reveals-strain-no-tear-vikings-game-scare

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-09-21 · by Armando Salguero

Quick Summary

Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears avoided a severe injury after an MRI revealed only a Grade 1 hamstring strain following his fall during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Although Williams could miss between one and three weeks, the team remains cautiously optimistic he may not be out for their next game on Monday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Coach Ben Johnson expects Williams to be "week-to-week," indicating immediate recovery is unlikely but a quick return cannot be ruled out entirely.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams left Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings with an apparent right hamstring injury during the fourth quarter and was carted off the field. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft completed 15 of 26 passes for 138 yards, one interception, and rushed for 42 yards before getting injured while attempting to reach the end zone on a scramble. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent replaced Williams for the remainder of the game, which ended with the Vikings winning 9-3.

Coach Ben Johnson described Williams' injury as "week-to-week" but did not provide a definitive timeline for his return. He noted that Caleb tends to recover quickly from such injuries and emphasized the team's optimism about his recovery despite the uncertainty. The Bears are now preparing for their next game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, with Tyson Bagent potentially stepping in as the starting quarterback if Williams is unable to play. If Williams cannot participate in the upcoming games, it will mark the first time Johnson has had to start a backup since drafting Williams in 2024. The team's record now stands at 1-1 after their loss to the Vikings.

Written for “Caleb Williams Hamstring Injury Updates” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 13 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Caleb Williams Hamstring Injury Updates
Sports · 14 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 17% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Caleb Williams avoids major hamstring injury as MRI reveals a strain but no tear after Vikings game scare Same event
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 12 claims Outlet record 69/100
Bears say Caleb Williams is week-to-week with hamstring injury and will ‘miss some time’ Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 1 of 21 claims Outlet record 66/100
Bears QB Caleb Williams is 'week to week' with hamstring injury, coach Ben Johnson says Same event
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 44 claims Outlet record 64/100
Bears gets huge Caleb Williams injury update after scary scene Same event
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
These young quarterbacks were supposed to break out. Now they’re hurt. Different event
NBC News
Hedges 0 of 32 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A focuses on Caleb Williams' injury status specifically, while Article B mentions Williams along with other young quarterbacks who have been injured, not focusing on one single incident.”
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears have moved on from Week 1's offensive show Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 30 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A discusses the Bears' preparation for their game against the Vikings, while Article B reports on Caleb Williams's injury status after playing against the Vikings.”
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams carted off with apparent leg injury vs. Vikings Different event
NBC News
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes Caleb Williams getting injured during a game, while Article B reports on the results of an MRI conducted after the injury incident.”
Tyson Bagent in concussion protocol with Bears in QB hell after Caleb Williams injury Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Caleb Williams' injury, they describe different aspects of the situation - Article A reports on the MRI results and initial prognosis for recovery, while Article B discusses the quarterback crisis that arises from Williams' injury.”
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams carted off at Soldier Field with apparent hamstring injury Different event
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 15 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes the moment of Caleb Williams' injury during the game, while Article B reports on the results of an MRI conducted after the game and provides an update on his recovery timeline.”
Caleb Williams carted off field in potential Bears injury nightmare Different event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Caleb Williams being injured during a game against the Vikings, Article A describes the initial injury incident on Sunday, while Article B reports on the MRI results and diagnosis from Monday.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
12
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
17%
2 of 12 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
14
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
2
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6252 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Armando Salguero
94 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The joke will be that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set back the modern-day NFL offense by decades on Sunday by failing to complete even one pass, something which had happened only one other time during the Super Bowl era.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Tampa Bay Buccaneers win NFL game without completing a pass, first time that's happened in half a century
🔮 This is a breaking story and will be updated.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Tears from teammates as immobilized Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell carted off field and hospitalized
🔮 If the Ravens' worst fears about a dislocation or fracture become the situation they must navigate, Jackson will probably miss more than just the remainder of this game.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson injured once again and out of the game after only one play against Bills
🔮 You may have a great offense, but you will not win a Super Bowl.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Buffalo Bills defense is 'horrible' and that means team cannot win the Super Bowl, Terry Bradshaw says on Fox
🔮 The Packers' interest, at whatever level that has reached, shows the team's willingness to move on from Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs, who is currently on their roster but has been a disappointment and something of a headaches because of his legal problems.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Packers' interest in Jonathan Taylor shows desire to move on from Josh Jacobs and his domestic abuse issues
🔮 And as the most curious calls went against the Packers, it doesn't surprise that team's postgame media session was replete with a withering review of the poor officiating work – led by safety Xavier McKinney who called the officiating "bulls–t." This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Fines coming after Green Bay Packers put NFL officiating on blast for questionable calls in loss to Lions
🔮 This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · NFL's dumbest moment of the week once again welcomes Jets coach Aaron Glenn, who is on the hot seat
🔮 "Qu’un sang impur abreuve nos sillons" means "May impure blood water our furrows/fields."
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · NFL's French national anthem performer Nina Tonji alters words to La Marseillaise, sparking outrage in France
🔮 This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Harbaugh credits players, including J.J. McCarthy and Cam Skattebo, and 'Lord God in heaven' for Giants OT win
🔮 Aaron Rodgers is an unrepentant fan of the NFL's international games and after the Pittsburgh Steelers won on Sunday in the league's first-ever game in France, the Steelers quarterback decided to offer a lesson on what those games abroad could have been if not for owners and the league not being so focused on money.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Aaron Rodgers pulls back curtain on bargaining talks with NFL envisioning one week of 16 international games
Also by Armando Salguero
Tampa Bay Buccaneers win NFL game without completing a pass, first time that's happened in half a century
2026-11-01 · Fox News
Tears from teammates as immobilized Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell carted off field and hospitalized
2026-11-01 · Fox News
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson injured once again and out of the game after only one play against Bills
2026-11-01 · Fox News
Buffalo Bills defense is 'horrible' and that means team cannot win the Super Bowl, Terry Bradshaw says on Fox
2026-11-01 · Fox News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 94 articles by Armando Salguero →

Topics

Bears ESPN1000 OutKick the Chicago Bears the Minnesota Vikings

Subjects

Williams PERSON · 8× Bears ORG · 3× Ben Johnson PERSON · 2× OutKick ORG · 2× Caleb Williams PERSON · 1× Chicago ORG · 1× ESPN1000 ORG · 1× Netflix Sports ORG · 1× the Chicago Bears ORG · 1× the Minnesota Vikings ORG · 1×

Narrative

What is realistic is that Williams avoided a full detachment of his hamstring, which was the fear after he went down untouched during a scramble out of the pocket in the game against the Vikings. But the player's reaction was not indicative of the injury's seriousness, apparently.
framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 The most important MRI in the history of the Chicago Bears (maybe) returned good news on Monday because quarterback Caleb Williams avoided a major injury.
2026-09-21 · Fox News
Caleb Williams avoids major hamstring injury as MRI reveals a strain but no tear after Vikings game scare · assertive framing
2026-09-21 · Fox News
Caleb Williams avoids major hamstring injury as MRI reveals a strain but no tear after Vikings game scare · assertive framing

Claims (12 extracted, 2 hedged)

The most important MRI in the history of the Chicago Bears (maybe) returned good news on Monday because quarterback Caleb Williams avoided a major injury. asserted
Williams → return → injury
A source tells OutKick that Williams has a strained hamstring injury and that he is not expected to miss significant time following a major scare during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. asserted
he → tell → Vikings
Williams has what is being described as a Grade 1 hamstring strain. asserted
what → have → strain
That means he may miss between one and three weeks while he rehabilitates. uncertain
he → mean → weeks
Bears coach Ben Johnson told ESPN1000 in Chicago on Monday he expects Williams to be "week-to-week." asserted
Williams → tell → week
Netflix Sports reported the Bears have not ruled out Williams for next Monday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. asserted
Bears → report → Eagles
The source told OutKick that was a "very optimistic" outlook. asserted
that → tell → OutKick
What is realistic is that Williams avoided a full detachment of his hamstring, which was the fear after he went down untouched during a scramble out of the pocket in the game against the Vikings. But the player's reaction was not indicative of the injury's seriousness, apparently. asserted
reaction → avoid → seriousness
His hamstring remains completely attached and structurally intact. asserted
hamstring → remain → ?
Williams was heard screaming as he lay on the turf and was eventually carted off the field amid the fear it could be his last time in uniform this season. uncertain
it → hear → uniform
Williams, who has suffered and overcome hamstring issues in the past, is expected to begin a rehab program as early as Monday. asserted
who → suffer → Monday
The Bears will go with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent in the games Williams misses, coach Ben Johnson said on Sunday. asserted
Johnson → go → Sunday
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