When Ben Johnson took the Chicago Bears head coaching job, helping quarterback Caleb Williams reach his No. 1 pick ceiling was his top priority. So far, the results have been mixed.
Week 7’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints was a clear negative for Williams. Although the Bears came out with a 24-16 victory, even the quarterback admitted that he didn’t play his best.
“We weren’t efficient enough in the passing game,” Johnson noted. “We’ll see why that was. I was hopeful by Week 6 we would play cleaner football than that.”
“The benefit when you win,” Johnson added, “is you usually can coach a little harder. We’re always truth tellers, on Monday in particular. When it’s good, we’ll tell them when it’s good. When it’s bad, we’ll tell them what we’ve got to clean up.”
Overall, Williams completed 15-of-26 passes for 172 scoreless yards and one interception. He fumbled twice, although he didn’t lose possession on either occasion. Still, he failed to pass the 200-yard threshold and did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season.
Meanwhile, the Bears’ run game and defense were on fire. Chicago rushed for 222 yards, while the defense forced three interceptions and a fumble. However, Williams and the offense couldn’t capitalize fully.
They’ll take the 24-16 win, but the victory could have been much larger had Chicago’s quarterback delivered a stronger performance.
Johnson isn’t necessarily looking for blowouts, though he probably wouldn’t mind. More importantly, he wants to see Williams play a consistent, four-quarter game of football.
Williams and the Bears will have their next opportunity to improve in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens.
https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/chicago-bears/bears-news-ben-johnson-caleb-williams-notice-beating-saints