As hope has been restored for the Bears' season by quarterback Caleb Williams and his excellent outing in the 34-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys, it was also a great showcase for head coach Ben Johnson. In fact, it would also be Johnson's first win as a head coach for the Bears, as his callout in the week before could have led to the dominant performance.
During the week, all eyes were on Chicago's defense after allowing 51 points to the Detroit Lions in the game prior, which led to Johnson saying that the “practice habits are yet to reflect a championship-caliber team,” according to ESPN. This led to a players-only meeting called by safety Jaquan Brisker and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, leading the former to give insight into what was said.
“We were talking about being the greatest, the best defense in Bears history, in the league — top 5. You can't give up 50 points,” Brisker said. “So, it's just a mentality, and we just had to make sure we were on one line and get everything off of our chest and obviously be on the same page, and we did that today.”
What resulted was an impressive showcase against the Cowboys, allowing 14 points and forcing four turnovers.
Bears' Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson on the big win
With Williams impressing for the Bears against the Cowboys, there was no doubt a hungry team out on the field against Dallas, especially the quarterback. Williams ended up throwing for 298 yards to go along with four touchdowns as he spoke about the belief the team had in themselves, despite the 0-2 start.
“I think we have so many guys that care,” Williams said. “It's something that Coach Johnson and I talk about. We have so many guys that care about us as teammates, but also just us as winning. I know we started off 0-2, but the belief was still there, the trust was still there that I talked about. So, it's just us being able to go out there and do it and execute it. That's always what it comes down to.”
For Johnson, it's on to the next one.
“It will be fun for tonight, and we're on to the next one,” Johnson said. “We're behind the 8-ball here. We're 1-2, and we've got to get back to .500 here.”
Chicago looks to make it two wins in a row as they face the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday.
