Bear Digest

Ben Johnson to test offense in 'Bear weather' for the first time

The fabled Hawk will be blowing at Soldier Field Sunday, with temperatures in the 30s, and Ben Johnson's tricky offense will receive its first test from the elements.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams, last year at Green Bay, showed he could handle cold weather games.
Caleb Williams, last year at Green Bay, showed he could handle cold weather games. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

The Hawk is making its first real appearance at Soldier Field Sunday and it's going to test Ben Johnson's ability to call an offense, if not Caleb Williams' ability to handle the cold and wind.

Their kicking game already has had problems of its own and hardly needs this challenge.

The fabled Chicago cold wind coming off Lake Michigan reduced Giants punter Sean Landeta to a whiffing buffoon and had Rams kicker Mike Lansford whining as the 1985 Bears roared to the Lombardi Trophy. The term "Bear Weather" became common in the Mike Ditka era and the forecast says it's here with temperatures around 35, a16 mph wind gusting much higher and possibly a little snow or rain.

Johnson came to Chicago after running his attack in a domed stadium for home games for three seasons. Williams is QB who played at USC. Can they be fits for Bear weather?

"There's going to be parts of the season where if Caleb's got to throw it 50 times and we got to air it out, then that's awesome but we all know when you get late in the season, and I would love to have some home games in January, you got to be able to run the football," Johnson said when he first arrived at Halas Hall. "We just turn on the playoffs right now, everyone's running the ball, bad weather. So that has to be a part of your identity.”

The Bears have become a running team just in time. Now second in rushing at 144.4 yards a game, they struggled earlier in the year.

Williams already proved his ability to handle cold weather last year a few times, and he should be accustomed to it because he grew up in the nation's capital and only played in California two seasons. He played a year in Oklahoma, where the prairie wind can be cold.

Williams, in two games with wind chills below 40 last year, had a passer rating of 96.4, completing 47 of 69 for 482 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He beat the Packers in sub-arctic type conditions.

Johnson's Lions offenses handled the elements fairly well for a dome team, especially considering the reputation QB Jared Goff had built up for not being able to cope with cold weather. They had a 5-2 record with wind chills of less than 40 while Johnson was offensive coordinator. They did have a little more problem scoring in the colder weather, averaging 24.6 points for the seven games. They passed for 247.7 yards a game and ran for 113.8.

Johnson got a taste earlier this season of playing in tougher conditions, though it was wind and rain rather than the cold. The Bears beat the Commanders in a nor'easter, scoring 25 points. 

"When you know what you're getting yourself into, that certainly allows you to get in the right frame of mind to go about your business the right way and handle it," Johnson said after that win. "They knew what it was going to be like. They thought they wore the proper shoes last (against Washington) and I didn't see guys slipping all over the tape like you could see possibly—other teams do at times. I thought they handled it well."

They weigh in all the factors.

"That's something that we always think about as a coaching staff and just like last week, it's making sure our players are ahead of it so that they can be in the right frame of mind," Johnson said.

Of course, in this one the Bears won't be gaining any advantage playing the Giants. They're accustomed to the cold and wind as much as the Bears.

As for their quarterback, Jaxson Dart, the rookie from Mississippi, he grew up playing football in Utah and it gets pretty cold there.

More Chicago Bears News

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

X: BearsOnSI

Published | Modified
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.