The Chicago Bears’ offseason hire of former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach has paid immediate dividends. The Bears defeated the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, to get to 9-3 on the season, good for first place in the NFC.
Johnson was brought in to help young quarterback Caleb Williams reach his full potential after a disappointing rookie season. Shockingly, Williams has not exactly been lights out, as good as the team may be playing as a whole.
It’s something that isn’t wasted on Johnson, and he was candid about Williams and the passing game on Monday.
“We gotta fundamentally be correct,” Johnson said, according to Pro Football Talk. “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.”
Now, some advanced stats have come out that reveal just how poorly Williams is performing this season.
“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
It’ll be interesting to see if Williams can get things on track in time for the Bears to make a deep playoff run.
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.