Two things have taken Caleb Williams’ game to the next level

Williams’ ability to generate chunk plays and cut down on negatives has boosted his play in 2025.

Dec 20, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs onto the field during player introductions before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Just because Caleb Williams might not break the Bears’ single-season passing yards record (3,838 yards) this season doesn’t mean he’s not having himself a very good year in 2025, especially in his first year with new offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

In many ways, 2025 essentially functioned as a rookie year for Williams, who was subjected to some of the worst coaching the NFL had to offer last year under now-departed head coach Matt Eberflus. With that in mind, many wondered how Johnson would rebuild Williams into a playoff-caliber quarterback for a roster that had enough pieces to compete.

The answer turned out to be much simpler than we thought.

As The Athletic’s Mike Sando notes in his post-Week 16 recap, Johnson and Williams have looked like a tailor-made match as the Bears roll into the playoffs, despite earlier reports about Johnson’s “frustration” with Williams’ off-schedule play. Williams has been efusive in his praise of Johnson—“I’e got the best coach in the world”—and has, more importantly, adapted his game to Johnson’s style, becoming one of the NFL’s most improved under-center and play-action passers. 

But the real key to his success has been cutting down on negative plays, specifically sacks, and replacing them with chunk plays.

“His traditional stats are nearly identical, and his EPA per pass attempt is the same, but with fewer sacks and more explosive gains through the air, his EPA per pass play has soared from -0.05 (30th) to +0.06 (13th),” Sando writes. 

As we’ve pointed out on multiple occasions, Williams’ sack avoidance has been nothing short of magical: his 11.7 pressure-to-sack ratio is sixth in the league, and he’s kept his sacks down to just 23 through 16 weeks after being sacked 68 times last season.

On top of that, Chicago has consistently been one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses in 2025, which is a huge departure from a relatively anemic 2024. Though much of that has come on the ground, the Bears have been no worse than middle-of-the-pack in terms of pass plays that gain 20 or more yards. Combine that with fewer sacks and hardly any turnovers from the quarterback, and you have yourself a leap for the former No. 1 overall pick.

The scary thing: Williams can still become so much better than he is now. Throws like the game-winner he tossed to DJ Moore on Saturday illustrate that plainly. Plus, he feels absolutely no fear in big moments, which makes him and the Bears dangerous in the postseason.

The bigger statistical numbers will come in time. But right now, Johnson and Williams have done the more important thing: minimize the bust, and maximize the boom.

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