The Bears suffered from slumps around quarterback Caleb Williams during their 19-13 loss to the Texans on Sunday. They definitely need better offense, a strong ground game and more cohesive play.

But Williams isn’t off the hook just because he’s a rookie. Not at all.

While there’s an adjustment period for every rookie, he was touted as the most NFL-ready draft prospect in years and stepped into a solid infrastructure for someone in his position. Most rookie quarterbacks don’t start with this many talented skill players or a defense that can seemingly keep the game within reach no matter how much he struggles.

Some of what Williams did in Houston illustrated the improvement from the opener, when he threw for just 93 yards. He completed 23 of 37 passes for 174 yards against the Texans, and his throws were generally more accurate, though he still had some misses.

But when Williams tried to open up his game, he became reckless. He threw two interceptions, plus another that was neutralized by a Texans penalty, and it’s clear he’s still learning that some of the incredible plays he made in college aren’t viable in the NFL.

Here’s a closer look at the film:

From left to right

Williams made his most egregious decision of the game midway through the third quarter, and technically he got away with it.

On second-and-nine at his own 35-yard line, Williams ran to his right, then threw across his body and across the field to Rome Odunze on the left sideline. Things looked bad, and he sent the ball over Odunze to Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter.

“You never want to throw down the field on a scramble because (defenders) have more time and space to close,” coach Matt Eberflus said Monday. “That’s just a great learning experience for him and an opportunity for him to learn from that.”

Luckily for Williams, it didn’t count, as linebacker Henry To’oTo’o was flagged for defensive holding.

Two actual interceptions

The Bears had eight possessions in the second half, and in five of them they were within one score and had a chance to take the lead. They were never completely out of the running, but Williams’ interceptions on consecutive drives to end the third quarter and start the fourth were crucial to the Texans taking control.

Williams was angry with himself because throwing interceptions is “not something I do” and “not really my thing.” He threw just 14 interceptions in 37 games in college, but the passing windows close much faster in the NFL.

Williams’ first interception came on third-and-16 at his own 40-yard line, and he threw the pass to DJ Moore short on the left sideline. Texans cornerback Derek Stingley was in front of Moore and had a much better angle on the ball than he did when he made the interception.

Eberflus called it a “50-50” ball and implied that Moore had to fight harder to avoid the pick, but Williams’ underthrow was more problematic. Moore would have had a better chance if Williams had sailed him to the sideline.

On the next, the play was ruined almost immediately when Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter spun past right tackle Darnell Wright for a clean shot on Williams. He grabbed him by the shoulders before Williams escaped, ripping his jersey in the process, then rolled to his right and threw on the run to tight end Cole Kmet on the right sideline in triple coverage.

It would have taken an absolutely perfect pass to complete that, but Williams didn’t have his feet in the right place and was short again. Lassiter caught it well for Kmet, and there was no ??? a chance for Kmet to overthrow it.

Footwork is essential

Overthrows continued to be a problem for Williams, and one of his most consistent misses came on the first drive of the third quarter when DeAndre Carter had a step on his defender going toward the left sideline. That could have easily been converted on third-and-three, but the Bears were forced to punt instead.

As was the case on the interception intended for Kmet, Williams’ footwork was questionable. While evading pressure in the pocket, he took a small hop as he threw the ball off his left leg.

Williams did that successfully at USC, showing flashes of it in training camp and preseason games, but Eberflus wants more focus on the fundamentals. He seemed to be repeating a coaching point, or perhaps trying to get Williams’ attention, when he talked about his accuracy on Monday.

“Quarterbacks talk about throwing off-platform and all that stuff, but they still have their feet on the ground and they do a good job of turning their shoulders and putting their feet on the ground toward the target area,” Eberflus said. “It’s important that we start with the ground up, and he’s no different than any other quarterback.”

Some also good

It wasn’t all bad. There was some promise on the film, as Williams completed 62 percent of his passes — he was just 48 percent in his debut — and nearly doubled his Week 1 yardage total.

Here are three sharp plays he performed:

– His throw to Carter down the right sideline on the opening drive, when he scored 5 of 5 times, was on target and timely, and his footwork was impeccable.

– He stayed in the pocket and was set up on a sharp throw to Moore to set up a third-and-three at the end of the first half with a completion of 16 yards.

– His third-and-three pass to Kmet with about five minutes to go showed good insight and decisiveness. His throw brought Kmet within seven meters after the catch, good for a 12-point gain.