Ben Johnson has been clear-eyed and straightforward throughout his first season as Bears coach, especially with quarterback Caleb Williams. And while he’s seen a lot he’s liked so far, he spoke up Monday about one of his team’s biggest red flags: Williams absolutely must play better for the Bears to have a chance in the playoffs.
Johnson told the truth about the passing attack, which ranks 16th in the NFL with Williams checking in at 22nd in passer rating, and while there’s plenty of blame to go around, it starts with the quarterback.
“We’re winning in spite of our passing game, not because of it,” Johnson said. “And none of us are pleased with that right now.”
That was at the end of a long answer in response to a question about Williams’ throwing accuracy — he has a league-low 58.1 completion percentage — as Johnson highlighted issues across the board.
He seemed to brush off Williams going 17-for-36 in the victory over the Eagles on Friday because it was unusually windy, but had broader concerns that need to be addressed as the Bears move forward to a game at the Packers on Sunday.
Johnson said the passing game as a whole has “got to be fundamentally correct.” Williams needs to be decisive and accurate when the primary receiver pops open. The staff drilled down on route precision Monday because receivers’ depth and timing have been off.
“Everybody’s got a role to play to get this pass game cleaned up,” Johnson said.