Was Caleb Williams too emotional in Bears’ Wild Card win? Ben Johnson weighs in

Ben Johnson explains his view on Caleb Williams’ emotional response during the Bears’ Wild Card win over the Packers.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams didn't do a great job keeping his emotions in check during his rookie season. He was often seen pouting, huffing, and puffing after failed drives or an onslaught of sacks, and it was a part of his game that coach Ben Johnson made a focal point of fixing early in their player-coach relationship.

To be a respected leader of a franchise like the Bears, you have to carry yourself like a professional at all times. And that includes challenging in-game moments that would crush the soul of average quarterbacks.

The Bears' quarterback, at least one with the expectations that come along with Caleb Williams, can't be average. At least, not anymore. Not with Ben Johnson calling plays and one of the best supporting casts in the NFL.

DJ Moore had another game-winner against the Packers:

“8 years I’ve been missing out on this playoff stuff, and now I’ve got one under my belt.”

On Caleb: “he’s just the brightest thing on the field”@NFLGameDay @nflnetwork #DaBears pic.twitter.com/AV0XIx6LGx

— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) January 11, 2026

It's why Caleb Williams' rage early in the Bears' Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers was... concerning? Perhaps old-school football guys like me didn't mind Williams ripping into Luther Burden III for running the wrong route. That's, uh, the way it should be.

But with so much offseason focus placed on Williams looking and acting the part on the sideline, there was at least some worry that he was regressing in real-time during the season's biggest game.

Fortunately, Williams managed to channel his anger. It fueled him for one of the biggest wins in Chicago Bears franchise history. And if there were any concerns about his sideline rage, Johnson squashed them on Monday.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Ben Johnson has no problem with Caleb Williams' emotional outburst vs. Packers

“You’ve got to be authentic to yourself when it comes to the game,” Johnson said Monday. “We all want to do well, we all want to have success, we want our teammates to do well. So, that’s a part of it. “And yet there’s an accountability factor that goes into it as well. When I turn on the tape and I see a few things, particularly in our passing game, that weren’t the way we had talked about over the course of the week, sometimes you do need to get a little bit fired up just to make sure the point gets across and that we play better going forward.”

Williams said after the game that he was frustrated early in the game because of the Bears' lack of focus. He didn't throw his teammates under the bust, though. He confirmed their effort was there. But not paying attention to those finer details will be the difference between a win or loss against hte Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

More Chicago Bears News:

• These numbers prove how scary the Bears’ second-half offense is

• Former NFL star says Caleb Williams is already the best Bears QB ever

• The Ozzy Trapilo injury news is even worse than we thought

• Caleb Williams and DJ Moore grate cheese postgame, embarrass the Packers even more

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