Ben Johnson: Legal hit on Caleb Williams sparked Bears sideline

The designed Caleb Williams run on fourth-and-one Sunday almost sparked a fight.

After the Bears quarterback gained eight yards up the left sideline, he was shoved out of bounds by Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The hit was made along the Bears sideline and started a skirmish, with Bears cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson grabbing Ramsey’s jersey and Bears players yapping at the Steelers cornerback.

Monday, Bears coach Ben Johnson bemoaned Williams not getting out of bounds quicker to avoid the hit. The play, though, sent a jolt through the Bears’ sideline — something Johnson pointed to as a positive.

“Want to get Caleb out of bounds just a little bit sooner,” he said. “But, you know, the crazy thing is, when things like that happen, it almost ignites your sideline even more.

“It was a completely legal hit — you know, he was in-bounds. But at the same time, just to see the whole sideline come to life, I think it kind of has another spark there to your offense and really the whole team.”

The Bears scored on that drive — Williams found Colston Loveland for a 12-yard slant — and beat the Steelers, 31-28.