Ben Johnson: Caleb Williams had some plays like the best in the NFL, some we'd want back

The Bears lost their first game under new head coach Ben Johnson on an inconsistent night for quarterback Caleb Williams, and Johnson said after watching the tape that Williams had too many plays that he’d like to be able to re-do.

“It was up and down. We had mixed results,” Johnson said. “There were some things he did that were top notch and I would put him up there with some of the best in the NFL. He had a couple throws with guys in his face that he delivered on target that were very tough. . . . And yet there were still some that we would like to have back. There were probably three or four of them that we counted on tape, at a minimum, that we would want back. We chatted for a while and he’s very self-reflective on it and critical of himself. It’s a starting point for us so we’ll look to get better next week.”

The Bears’ first offensive drive was a thing of beauty, with Williams looking poised and in control while passing and ending up running the ball into the end zone himself. But after that, Williams went through a long stretch of poor play, brightened only by a late drive that proved to be too little, too late.

“Some good football on tape, but too much inconsistent football that popped up,” Johnson said. “Effort wasn’t an issue, those guys did a good job playing hard and competed the whole night, but the execution has got to improve, particularly there in the fourth quarter.”

In his second season after being the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Bears need more consistency from Williams.

Click here to read article