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Caleb Williams Has Strong Start to Ben Johnson's Bears Debut

Ryan Phillips

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams looked excellent in Ben Johnson's offense during the first half of the team's Week 1 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams looked excellent in Ben Johnson's offense during the first half of the team's Week 1 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. / Matt Marton-Imagn Images
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Caleb Williams looks like a different guy under his new head coach.

The Chicago Bears and their quarterback opened the team's next era on Monday night, with Ben Johnson in charge. The team's second-year signal-caller looked comfortable and in command of his head coach's offense during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings.

Williams and the Bears entered halftime ahead of Minnesota 10-6, but while the point total wasn't high, the team's offense looked vastly improved from 2024.

A few penalties derailed the unit's momentum, but Williams was solid. He completed 13-of-16 passes for 112 yards, while adding 32 yards and a touchdown on four carries. He didn't turn the ball over and, crucially, was not sacked.

He also threw this dart to Rome Odunze to make something out of nothing on a third-down play.

Williams also used his scrambling ability to avoid a few potential stops in the backfield, but the team's new-look offensive line looks much improved.

Perhaps most impressive was how calm and in control Williams looked after struggling along with his offense in 2024.

Chicago's offense was penalized four times for 20 yards, which didn't help things. Johnson & Co. need to clean that up moving forward to help their young quarterback.

Overall, the Bears outgained the Vikings 172-80, and Williams did a solid job moving the ball and being efficient. It was one half, but it was clear he's far more connected to Johnson's offense.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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