Caleb Williams came under fire for his performance on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. He finished with 285 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. The offense only scored 16 points, stalling in the red zone multiple times again. Add the numerous offensive penalties resulting from pre-snap issues and you can understand why Chicago Bears fans were livid with the young quarterback. Shouldn't there be signs of progress by this point? It felt like he was making the same mistakes that had characterized his rookie season the previous year. Some wonder how long of a leash he has with Ben Johnson before there's a breaking point.
The Bears head coach decided to set the record straight in an interview with Jeff Joniak on ESPN 1000. Yes, the red zone issues are a problem. More points are needed. That interception can't happen. However, the truth is Williams played considerably better in this game than he did in the previous two, which were both wins. Johnson may not have liked the result, but he came away encouraged that Williams is finally starting to see things the right way. Things are slowing down.
Ultimately, the final decision belongs to Ben Johnson.
He is the one who will decide whether Williams is the right guy for this franchise. That is one of the reasons he came to Chicago. He saw many exciting qualities about the young quarterback. What was needed was structure and patience. Ben Johnson has provided the former. Now what everybody needs is the latter. Williams' progress was never going to be swift. There were several bad habits that the coaching staff needed to address from last year. That doesn't happen overnight.
Reviews of the game tape showed Williams was more in control than it first appeared. He made mostly good decisions outside of the interception. It's just unfortunate he didn't get many breaks. Johnson seems convinced things are getting closer. The running game has found a footing since the bye week. If Williams can reach that moment of clarity, everything could fall into place.
