Bear Digest

Ben Johnson offers shocking review of Caleb Williams' performance against the Ravens

Chicago Bears fans were less than impressed by Caleb Williams in Week 8's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Here's what Ben Johnson had to say.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams wasn't met with much fanfare following the Bears' Week 8 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Sure, the Williams criticism was an initial knee-jerk reaction from the media and Bears fans, but there was validity in the frustration.

Williams finished Week 8 by throwing for 285 yards and one interception, and failed to lead the Bears on any meaningful touchdown drive that could've changed the team's fortunes.

Instead, his backbreaking fourth-quarter interception was the critical moment in the game. The Ravens flipped the turnover into a touchdown just a few plays later, and the game was all but lost.

So, yeah, fans were grinding their teeth.

But as Lee Corso would famously say, 'not so fast, my friend!'

Bears coach Ben Johnson appeared on ESPN 1000 on Monday and offered a surprising assessment of Williams' performance.

"He played better this game than I think he had the previous two," Johnson said. "When you look at it, all 60 minutes, and I’m not saying it’s perfect. I actually came away from watching the tape this morning, encouraged that we took a step in the right direction here this week. I know for some people it’s hard maybe rationalize because the result wasn’t there. But yeah, I saw tangible growth from him. He’s working his tail off.”

Patience remains a virtue with Bears QB Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears fans, more than probably any other fanbase in the NFL, don't need to be lectured about patience when it comes to their quarterback. Bears fans have a PhD in QB patience.

But, unlike failed first-round quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields, this time, that patience is warranted.

"He was very efficient with the football there early in the game," Johnson told reporters Monday. "I thought he had a number of throws that were on time. We hit a couple in-breakers. That was encouraging to see as well … I thought he did a good job delivering that football."

Indeed, Williams wasn't perfect. And when he did miss, he missed in a head-scratching way.

"There's a couple that we talked about that need to be automatic here at this point halfway through the season that we missed on, and so we're going to keep on working through that process," Johnson said. "I think we're going to be in good shape. I did think he took a step forward here this week."

Those 'automatic' plays that Caleb Williams is missing are the ones that guys like Troy Aikman made sure a viewing audience heard all about. And it's impacting the general perception of the second-year QB's development.

All that matters is Ben Johnson seeing growth. He did in Week 8. And that should leave a relaxed smile on Bears fans' faces.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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