At some point during the first weeks of the regular season, quarterback Caleb Williams and coach Ben Johnson noticed something about the Bears’ offense: It was a lot easier to sustain momentum than to spark it.
“Once we get our first first down, then we start rolling,” Williams said.
That has been true for Williams, who has gained confidence, and for Johnson, who fine-tunes a play-calling rhythm each time the Bears move the chains.
It seems to apply to the season, too. Two weeks ago, the Bears were winless. Now they’re 2-2 in their bye week.
“The first four games builds confidence, and I understand the first two were losses,” Williams said after practice Tuesday. “I think it builds a lot of momentum and confidence. . . . We’ve got to go look at everything and be truthful for ourselves. The coaches are going to do the same for us. We have one-on-one meetings. Find ways to get better for the team.”
There’s plenty to fix on offense, from a running game that ranks 25th in the NFL with 3.8 yards per carry to an offensive line that already has used two left tackles and three right tackles. Right tackle Darnell Wright didn’t practice Tuesday while he recovers from an elbow injury. An unknown injury kept right guard Jonah Jackson away. Linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring), cornerback Kyler Gordon (hamstring) and tight end Colston Loveland (hip) were there.
Because of the bye, the Bears don’t have to submit an injury report until Oct. 9, four days before they play the Commanders.
However . . .
“Just because it’s a bye week doesn’t mean it’s an off week,” Williams said.
He added he might take one day to rest this week. By rule, players must be off from Thursday through Sunday.
Meanwhile, Bears coaches will spend the open week evaluating the first four games and where they go from here. The offense was a mess Sunday against the Raiders until it mattered most, with Williams marching the Bears to a touchdown to take the lead with 1:34 to play.
“Some really good stuff for us to learn from,” Johnson said. “Sometimes wins like that go a long way for your team and what we are trying to build here.”
A lot has gone right the last two weeks, too. Williams is tied for third in the NFL with eight touchdown passes and ranks 14th with a 97.8 passer rating. He has been sacked seven times. Of the 26 quarterbacks who have thrown 100 or more passes, only eight have been sacked less.
The Bears aren’t where they want to be. But Williams can see it from here.
“You’ve got so many games, and so many things can go good, and so many things can go bad, so you’re always wanting to be at an even state,” he said. “But you do recognize where you are and where you’re headed. You try to stay on that consistent path of growth and not ever ride the roller coaster. . . .
“Obviously, you want to be able . . . to feel the momentum of what’s going on but not let those things get in the way of what you actually have done and what you actually have to do to keep going in the right direction.”
Williams has been through a false positive before. Last Oct. 13, he threw four touchdown passes as the Bears beat the Jaguars by 19 in London to improve to 4-2. At the time of their bye, he had led the team to 95 points during a three-game win streak.
Then came the “Fail Mary” debacle against the Commanders on Oct. 27, plus nine more losses, each more excruciating than the last. The Bears wouldn’t win again for almost three months. Before the end of November, they’d fired their offensive coordinator, then their head coach.
Momentum didn’t mean much after the bye. The Bears hope that’s one of the many differences between last season and this one.
Johnson came to Chicago vowing to make Williams uncomfortable. He’d have to adjust to being under center, fine-tune his footwork and learn Johnson’s plays. Williams is proud of how his footwork has improved — but he’s even more content with the way he has settled into his coach’s system.
“[It’s] just being more comfortable with everything that Ben and the guys have thrown at me, just being able to grasp it all — but also be able to go out there and play a game and play it well for the team,” Williams said. “That’s most important, I think — those two things.”
