As the Bears get set to head to Detroit to face the Lions, I needed a timeout to digest what the heck happened Monday night.

It wasn’t supposed to end this way.

Sure, I knew there was a possibility the Bears would lose their opening night game; they were a home underdog. But to blow it in an Eberflusian way with the new coaching staff? Inexcusable.

I rolled over in bed at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, wide awake with my brain twisted like the hot pretzel I ate at Soldier Field hours earlier. It wasn’t the loss that had me staring at the ceiling; it was the QB that had me confused.

What did I just watch from Caleb Williams in his first game under Ben Johnson, and how should I feel about it?

I am the Bears fan who just last week preached patience as the young quarterback unlearns the bad habits of last year, while needing to be fluent in the Johnson scheme. Caleb did lead the Bears on a first-possession touchdown drive after not doing it all of last season.

It was glorious.

Williams also rushed for his first-ever touchdown on that same drive and was only sacked twice. Soldier Field was on tilt with an energy you wished would last forever.

It did not.

Yet, a lot of Williams’ issues in the opener were the same mistakes from last year.

Wide-open receivers missed with errant throws. Open targets were not thrown to because Caleb never saw them while he tried to process. Holding the ball too long. Bailing on the pocket prematurely, despite minor pressure from defenders.

In the opener, Williams was off target 29.4% of the time. That stat alone made him the most inaccurate QB in the NFL in Week 1. It got worse – Williams fell to missing 44% of the time in the second half.

Want more?

According to TruMedia, in the last 18 games, Caleb leads NFL quarterbacks with 52 incompletions due to an overthrow, 17 more than the next highest quarterback.

I know another quarterback who could wow you with spectacular dimes and highlight reel runs, but was wildly inaccurate and slow to process – Justin Fields.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not asking for a redo. I truly believe that, from a talent standpoint, Williams is much better. The problem is, the production and results haven’t backed that up.

Ask yourself this, and I feel guilty for even bringing this up.

Are the Bears better off today at quarterback with Caleb than they were with Justin, or dare I say Mitch Trubisky?

I’ve always been team Caleb over team Justin. Fields was an athlete playing quarterback, while Caleb is a QB who happens to be a great athlete. There’s a big difference.

As the guilt continues to wash over me, wondering if I’m being too hard on Williams, it is only one game under Johnson. I’m reminded by my friend Mike Greenberg, who stated, “Caleb Williams has had more head coaches in 18 games than the Pittsburgh Steelers have had since 1969.”

It’s a tricky balance of being concerned without going overboard after one game.

JJ McCarthy was probably better off getting hurt in his first year and learning under Kevin O’Connell than Williams was playing every game under Matt Eberflus and Thomas Brown.

As Bears fans, we’ve been through the ringer, losing 11 of 12 games with the only victory coming against a Packers team that wasn’t trying to win.

It’s understandable to be emotional over what we saw against the Vikings, but it’s prudent to give this a lot more time and patience.

The only one who that’s fair criticism for is Ryan Poles, who somehow got a contract extension with a 15-37 overall record and 3-16 in the division.

The elephant in the room is Williams’ work ethic. There have been far too many reports that the second-year quarterback still doesn’t understand what it takes to become truly great.

Williams loves being a QB, but will he embrace the grind to become the dude?

He’d better be, because you’re entering the Lions den in more ways than one.

• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.