The Chicago Bears are currently the owners of the number-one overall seed and the first-round bye that comes with it in the NFC playoff picture. First-year head coach Ben Johnson has the Bears playing inspired football.
However, Johnson was brought in because of what he might be able to do for young quarterback Caleb Williams, who struggled in his rookie season. Shockingly, although Chicago is 9-3, Williams is struggling to perform to Johnson’s standard consistently, something he’s spoken about throughout the season and did again on Monday.
“We gotta fundamentally be correct,” Johnson said. “The primary receiver, when he’s open, we’ve got to make sure we hit him. And then, all of our pass catchers, we just harped on it today, we need to be more disciplined in our route detail.
“It’s not where it needs to be. Our depth’s not proper all the time. Our steps [aren’t]. Everybody has a role to play to get this pass game cleaned up. It’s not where it needs to be. We’re winning in spite of our passing game, not because of it, and none of us are pleased with that right now.”
On Tuesday, a dive into some advanced statistics revealed the depths of Williams’ struggles.
“Caleb Williams has the lowest completion pct (58.1) in the NFL despite throwing into tight windows at the lowest rate (10.6 pct) this season, per (NextGenStats),” one NFL analytics-based Twitter account posted on Tuesday.
“Williams has thrown to open targets at 4th-highest rate (50.5 pct) and wide-open targets at 3rd-highest rate (27.8 pct).”
Caleb Williams has the lowest completion pct (58.1) in the NFL despite throwing into tight windows at the lowest rate (10.6 pct) this season, per @NextGenStats.
Williams has thrown to open targets at 4th-highest rate (50.5 pct) and wide-open targets at 3rd-highest rate (27.8… https://t.co/f4o2j3To3z
— NFL Researcher (@FrontOfficeNFL) December 2, 2025
Fans reacted to the brutal numbers on social media.
“It’s unsustainable. Either he improves or they stop winning at this rate,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Yup, needs to be cleaned up, but he’s learning a new style of offense he’s never played and a new approach to his footwork. Year 2 under Ben will tell a lot,” someone else added.
“He has been inaccurate no doubt. But those come from behind wins are on him,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see if Williams’s accuracy issues end up costing the Bears in the playoffs.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.