Bears fans remain optimistic despite home opener loss, Williams' injury

While they didn't come out on top, falling 9 to 3 to the Minnesota Vikings during Sunday's home opener, fans say they are optimistic the team could make it to the Super Bowl.

As Bears fans trekked into Soldier Field in gear, ponchos and whatever else they could find to battle the nasty weather, the rain wasn't about to dampen this mood.

This is the day Brad Meyer, better known as Bear Down Brad, waits for every year. His Aces Tailgate goes back nearly 50 years and the home opener is practically Christmas Day.

"Are the Bears going to be good? Well, let me just ask you this. Does a one-legged duck swim in a circle? You better believe it!" he said.

All of the Bears fans at the soggy tailgate are full of optimism for a team coming off a playoff season.

"It is nice walking into a game where you believe you can win because for the last several years this is all we look forward to is the tailgate," said Bob Kolvacks.

But at Rocky Fields' birthday tailgate, he'll tell you it's not optimism ... it's facts.

"We are going to win 13 games this year and we are going to get to the finals," he said.

Kayla and Lance Kammes echo the optimism, putting their faith behind quarterback Caleb Williams and the team's leadership.

"It's the leadership. The leadership is different," Lance said.

But that mood quickly changed in the fourth quarter.

People inside Soldier Field say when Williams went down, the crowd was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Fans say they were hoping he would bounce back up and keep playing, but that was not the case.

Instead, Williams screamed out in pain and could not carry himself off the field. He was carted off, towel over his head and emotional as trainers rode with him off the field.

Fans now wonder what this could mean for the rest of the season.

"He's been on fire. He took his whole preseason seriously. He's got the mobility, agility, but in this weather you can't take those risky plays out there," said Rick Patel.

"Best case, it's just the nastiness. He's got a matcha, a little hammy tweak," said John Nicholas.

Bears are scheduled to take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field next Monday. Fans in the meantime will be eager to hear how Williams ' injury will progress.