The Chicago Bears scored one of their most impressive wins of the season when they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday. While the win helped Chicago claim the top spot in the NFC North, there were still some concerns coming out of the game including the Bears’ passing attack.
Ben Johnson didn’t seem thrilled with Caleb Williams’s performance on Friday, which saw him complete just 17-of-36 passes for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 24-15 victory. While the running game did its part with 281 rushing yards, Johnson didn’t hold back any punches on Monday, demanding more of Williams and telling Bear Report’s Zack Pearson that the team was winning “in spite of our passing game.”
The comments triggered conversation that Johnson may be getting fed up with Williams just as the team heads into a critical five-game stretch beginning with Sunday’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers. But 24 hours after his comments were made, Johnson backtracked to insist he wasn’t upset with his quarterback.
“When I made that comment yesterday, it’s easily construed as I’m not happy with the quarterback,” Johnson said via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “That’s not the case whatsoever. He continues to get better each and every week and I couldn’t be more pleased with how he played last week. And I know what the stats say. Throw those out the window. He’s doing a really good job managing the ballgame. That’s step No. 1 for the quarterback.”
Caleb Williams’s Small Steps Are Needed for Bears’ Playoff Push
While Johnson’s comments on Monday may have poured gas on a potential fire, Tuesday’s comments made sure he didn’t light the match.
As a second-year quarterback (and one that is under a competent coaching staff for the first time after a wasted rookie year by Matt Eberflus), Williams was bound to have ups and downs adapting to a new system. Statistically, it hasn’t been pretty as Williams has worse stats than he had during his rookie year including lower completion percentage and a higher interception rate.
Stat | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
Completion Percentage | 62.5% | 58.1% |
Yards Per Game | 208.3 | 226.8 |
Touchdowns | 20 | 17 |
Touchdown Rate | 3.6% | 4.3% |
Interceptions | 6 | 5 |
Interception Percentage | 1.1% | 1.3% |
Yards Per Attempt | 6.3 | 6.9 |
Sacks Taken | 68 | 19 |
Sack Rate | 10.79% | 4.58% |
While fantasy football managers are probably lamenting drafting Williams in August, there is a bigger process at play. Johnson was hired to get the most out of Williams and the more he plays in his system, the more he’ll feel comfortable. Williams definitely left some throws on the field in the win over the Eagles, but the biggest difference between this year and last year is that he doesn’t have to do everything to keep the Bears afloat.
D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have created one of the most fearsome backfields in the league, running for 255 of the Bears’ rushing yards last Friday. The Bears defense has also made life easier, forcing a league-leading 26 turnovers and 19.8% turnover rate, limiting the need for Williams to light up the scoreboard.
This may be hard for some regarding a former No. 1 overall pick, but for now, Johnson just wants Williams to avoid the catastrophic mistakes. With just five interceptions on the year and improvement in yards per attempt, and sack percentage, Williams is making those steps as Chicago is winning games.
For Johnson, that may be enough for the moment with bigger things expected in the years to come.