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After an explosive showcase for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams against the Buffalo Bills in the 38-0 win in the preseason on Sunday, there are many pointing to the offensive mind of head coach Ben Johnson being the catalyst. While Johnson will tout the Bears' star in Williams after the Bills win, the head coach speaks on how his offensive system led to the victory.
There was no denying how efficient the offense was for Chicago as they recorded 528 total yards of offense, recorded 31 first downs, and converted nine of 16 attempts on third down situations, besides the 38 points. However, Johnson would downplay his scheme and system as leading to the outing; instead, it was all credited to the players and “how they wanted to play the game,” according to the team's website.
“All night tonight, it had nothing to do with scheme,” Johnson said. “It was all about our guys and how they wanted to play the game. We asked them to play clean football. That's what I was most proud of. I thought our operation, from breaking the huddle to the snap of the ball on offense and our communication on defense, was really good.”
Consequently, Williams played two drives, where the first was an impressive seven-play series, ended with a 36-yard touchdown pass to receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.
“It sets the tone for us as a team,” Johnson said. “It sets a tone for how we expect ourselves to play and go out and perform; it was extremely important.”
In total, Williams completed six of 10 passes for 107 yards and the touchdown to Zaccheaus.
Bears' Caleb Williams has been “really locked in”
The Bears' preseason shutout of the Bills was the team's first in 31 years, making the win extra special, even if it doesn't count towards the actual record. Still, the focus of the game was to show that Chicago has truly improved under the new head coach in Johnson and Williams, especially taking that next step.
It looks like those two boxes are checked, as Johnson has noticed Williams has looked “really locked in.” The former No. 1 overall pick recorded 3,541 yards to go along with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions last season.
“He's really been locked in,” Johnson said. “Anytime you're a young player, there's usually a couple steps forward and one step back, and that's really been the story of his training camp. He and I have been really open and honest about that as we've gone through.”
“He's had some really good practices, and he's had a couple where it's like, ‘That isn't good enough, bud.' I thought really the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he's stacked up good days in a row right now,” Johnson continued. “The challenge is going to be to keep pushing in that direction.”
Subsequently, the Bears have one more preseason game on August 22 against the Kansas City Chiefs before the Week 1 regular season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Sept. 8.
