With the Chicago Bears starting the season 0-2 after the disappointing loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, 52-21, fans are closely looking at the performance of quarterback Caleb Williams. As the Lions blew out the Bears, there were many frustrating moments for Williams, as head coach Ben Johnson highlights one specific negative.
In a play that William will either forget or learn from, it was the second quarter as Chicago faced a third-and-32 from their own 37-yard line, as the quarterback was pressured, rolled to the right, and forced a pass that ended up in an interception. In what could have been a clear opportunity to throw it away and move on to the next play, Williams played hero ball, leading to the pick and another touchdown for the Lions on the offensive end.
Johnson would echo the same sentiments that Williams should've thrown it away.
“He’s got to throw it away,” Johnson said, according to The Chicago Sun-Times
.@aidanhutch97 with the pressure, @JKERB25 with the pick 🤝 #CHIvsDET 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/kNg6BeFheJ
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 14, 2025
In the loss, Williams threw for 207 yards to go along with two touchdowns (both to wide receiver Rome Odunze) and the aforementioned interception. However, Detroit dominated Chicago in every aspect, leading to Johnson's return to face his former team, described as a “kick in the teeth,” per The Athletic.
“When you play a good team on the road and you have turnovers and you don’t convert on fourth down and you give up explosive plays on defense, it can go sideways in a hurry,” Johnson said.
“Man,” Johnson continued, “it’s a kick in the teeth. Nothing about that feels good.”
Bears' Caleb Williams takes accountability for frustrating performance
As the Bears quarterbacks' day ended early due to the lopsided score, Williams looks to prove he is up to par with the talent he has, since he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If there is one aspect that Williams has that every great player does, it's accountability for poor play when present.
“It’s always pointing the finger at yourself before you go pointing at anybody else,” Williams said. “I’m not necessarily going to say ‘tough film’ or anything like that. You’re going to make mistakes. You’ve got to go out there and not be fearful of making a mistake, and that’s how I play. If something happens, all right, cool, move on to the next play, and let’s go back out there.”
The real test for Chicago will be to see how the team, and especially Williams, responds to the humbling showcase they had against an NFC North rival.
“First game, missed a couple of passes,” Williams said. “This game, hit some key passes, and didn’t feel like anything was off. My footwork was solid, and I was hitting my guys.”
Williams and the Bears look to improve and get their first win of the season next Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
