The Chicago Bears captured another comeback victory on Sunday, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to best the New York Giants at Soldier Field in Week 10.
It was the Bears’ second late-game comeback in as many weeks, and while that kind of high-pressure success tends to bond teammates and coaches, Henry McKenna of Fox Sports sees the recent developments as creating a divide between quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson.
“We haven’t seen much in the way of game management from Williams in the NFL. But that’s what he did to get the Bears back into the lead in the closing moments of the game. He ran, he got creative, he didn’t turn the ball over,” McKenna wrote November 9. “He did not, however, operate Johnson’s system to a T — not like Jared Goff once did.”
McKenna then referenced Johnson’s comments on an episode of “First Things First” last week, during which he said Williams enjoys late-game situations with wins and losses on the line because he gets to “write his own story.”
“It might not be exactly how you draw it up as a coach, and yet, he just has that playmaking ability,” Johnson said during the interview.
“At first glance, one line — ‘it might not be exactly how you draw it up’ — struck me as a potential red flag for their relationship,” McKenna continued. “It’s a spot where you can read between the lines.”
McKenna then pointed out a brief interaction between Williams and Johnson after Sunday’s win and continued reading between the lines.
“Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams with the most … understated postgame acknowledgement you’ll see 😂😂,” McKenna captioned the three-second video.
Ben Johnson Chose to Coach Bears in Large Part Because of Caleb Williams’ Presence in Chicago
GettyChicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
McKenna is a columnist for Fox Sports, which means he gets paid to be subjective and speculative, and that’s perhaps most of what is going on here.
Some in the media have speculated throughout this season that Johnson might decide to bench Williams in favor of backup QB Tyson Bagent.
“Ben Johnson will bench Caleb Williams and start Tyson Bagent,” Bill Simmons predicted on the “Bill Simmons Podcast” episode that aired on October 22. “Bagent will be the starter in time for Week 13/Week 14.”
But roughly a week later, Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network pointed out a sizable flaw in Simmons’ hypothesis, which also applies to McKenna’s assertions.
“Ben Johnson came to Chicago, in part, because of Williams. He is committed to Williams’ development as a player in a complex scheme it’ll take a long time to master,” Bair wrote on October 28. “While Williams hasn’t been as impactful as many would like, he’s not playing poorly.”
Caleb Williams Talked About Confidence Flowing Between Bears’ Players, Coaches After Giants Win
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
The Bears won each of the last two games late in the fourth quarter, and Williams was the driver of both victories.
He finished off a 91-yard drive with a touchdown to wide receiver Rome Odunze and a second drive of 53 yards with a 17-yard touchdown run to erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to the New York Giants Sunday. Williams also completed a 58-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colston Loveland with just seconds remaining to put Chicago over the top of the Bengals in Cincinnati last weekend.
And after the win against the Giants, Williams spoke about joint confidence between the Bears’ locker room and coaching staff.
“The confidence in us and the confidence in the coaches in those moments is there,” Williams said. “And I think that shows in those moments.”
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