Ben Johnson: Caleb Williams' "Best Interception" of 2025 Proves How Great He Can Be

Interceptions are not always bad, and quarterbacks are not always at fault for them. In fact, if they occur on fourth down and the intercepting team loses field position by coming down with the ball, then that's a net win for the offense.

We saw an example of that in the Chicago Bears' wild card matchup against Green Bay last season. Caleb Williams took the shotgun snap on 4th-and-6 on their own 40-yard line before rifling an interception into the awaiting arms of Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine at the 12-yard line. Green Bay lost 28 yards of field position by snagging the pick.

Intercepted by Carrington Valentine 🧀

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As it turns out, that wasn't the only reason why Williams was smart to make that throw. Bears head coach Ben Johnson spent a day with The Athletic's Dan Pompei last week, and he provided some insight into that specific interception, calling it Williams' "best interception of the season".

"In the regular-season finale last year, the Bears defense threw an unusual look at Goff. Johnson thought it was a learning opportunity for Williams, so he showed him the play and gave him the solution. It was a brief conversation. Johnson didn’t emphasize it and didn’t think it would be an issue for Williams anytime soon, let alone the next game. But it was. And Williams was ready. He recognized the look and threw the ball right where he was supposed to. A receiver didn’t have it down like Williams did, however, and the route bust resulted in an interception." Pompei wrote.

At the time, virtually everyone thought that Luther Burden III, who was the unlucky receiver to be on the receiving end of the pass, ran the wrong route. An upset Williams was seen motioning to the pass-catcher after the play, so it was assumed that he was in the wrong for being on a different page than his QB.

As it turns out, they were right, but maybe not in the way everyone expected. We still don't know whether Burden was running the correct route, but we know Williams was reading a different book. One that most QBs with his level of experience probably wouldn't be fluent in after only week of learning the language.

Caleb Williams proved he can learn on the fly last season

Caleb Williams throwing a ball in pre-game — Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws a pass during warmups before an NFC Divisional Round game against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The music coming out of Bears training camp last season wasn't exactly angelic. Growing pains were expected in the first year of Ben Johnson's offense, and they sounded relatively painful early on.

The same can be said for the first few weeks of last season, as Williams was struggling to keep Chicago's offense on the field, and they fell to 0-2 (against division rivals, no less) as a result. However, he had a breakthrough performance in their Week 3 matchup against Dallas. He threw for nearly 300 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 31-14 rout. With a 67.9% completion percentage, you could make a strong case that it was his best game of the season.

However, it wasn't an upward trajectory from that point. The flashes remained evident (and extremely bright), but he struggled with consistency over the next month and didn't look fully comfortable until the team's Week 9 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. That game became another strong candidate for his best game of the year, as he threw for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns, added 53 yards on the ground, and even caught two passes. He was all over the field and, most importantly, he looked composed and comfortable until the final whistle blew.

That Week 9 matchup was a launching point for the rest of the season. It was their first of five straight wins in November, and Williams developed a reputation as one of the league's most clutch playmakers. He showed that he not only had a firm grasp of Ben Johnson's offense, but that he could also thrive in it.

The next test will be to show that he can build on the promising performance without benefiting from the element of surprise. He's now a known commodity, and everyone is looking for him to take the next step.

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