When Ben Johnson took the Chicago Bears head coaching job, helping quarterback Caleb Williams find his No. 1 pick ceiling was his top prerogative. So far, the results have been mixed.
But Week 7's matchup against the New Orleans Saints was a clear negative for Williams. The Bears came out with a 24-16 victory, but even the quarterback admitted that he didn't play his best. After the game, Johnson revealed his exact message to Williams as he marches through the rest of the season, via Dan Wiederer of The Athletic.
“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 said, “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 an interception. He fumbled twice, although he didn't lose possession on either. Still, he failed to pass the 200 yard threshold and did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season.
The Bears run game and defense were on fire. Chicago ran for 222 yards while the defense forced three interceptions and a fumble. However, Williams and the offense couldn't capitalize. They'll take a 26-14 win, but the victory could've been much larger had Chicago's quarterback had a stronger game.
Not that Johnson is looking for blowout, though he probably wouldn't mind. He just wants to see Williams play a consistent game of football over four quarters. He'll have his next opportunity in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens.
