The Chicago Bears pulled off a thrilling win over the Vikings. And they’re 7-3 despite head coach Ben Johnson’s alleged frustrations with Caleb Williams. But Johnson set the record straight about the plan for the team’s receivers, according to a post on X by Ari Meirov.
“:#Bears HC Ben Johnson was asked about getting his receivers more 50/50 opportunities: “I’m not a big guy on 50/50 balls. You can look at my track record of calling games. We like to get guys open more than just throwing it up for grabs. That's not what we want to be about.”
The Bears aren’t in the clear for a playoff berth. They have the Steelers, Eagles, Packers (twice), 49ers, and Lions remaining on their schedule. The only game where they would be a clear-cut favorite is at home against the Browns on Dec. 14.
Bears HC Ben Johnson wants more structure for Caleb Williams
Johnson said he wanted Williams to play “within the rhythm and the timing of the concepts,” according to The Athletic.
“To be honest with you, I think Ben is frustrated with him,” an opposing defensive coach said. “Caleb doesn’t play on time. And doesn’t do the things that allow that offense to get to the next level that Ben is used to. Ben was able to scheme up max-protection things for Jared (Goff) in Detroit and run guys open. This guy can’t do that, so now it is all (off-schedule) ball, which is uncontrollable for a coach.”
It’s hard to imagine the Bears making a big playoff splash if there is a butting of heads between coach and quarterback. That’s not a fringe way of thinking among NFL observers. The Athletic said the Bears will have to prove it because their schedule gets tougher.
“The Bears don’t have a victory against a team that currently has more than four wins,” Jeff Howe and Austin Mock wrote. “There’s no need to apologize for a soft schedule, but the Bears will have to answer for it. Their remaining opponents have a .597 winning percentage, the hardest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL.”
