Much of the loud conversations being had after the Chicago Bears' 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night were about the performance of quarterback Caleb Williams.
By the end of the contest, Williams completed just 60% of his passes for 210 yards and ran for another 58, scoring two total touchdowns. While the athleticism was on full display, his accuracy in the second half came into question.
While speaking to the media on Wednesday, Bears head coach Ben Johnson discussed Williams' footwork and the progress that is being made on that front.
"When he was doing it properly, the ball came out on time, and I thought he was delivering accurate footballs," Johnson said via The Athletic's Dan Wiederer. "But it’s still not 100 percent all the time. And that’s something we’re working through."
Ben Johnson on Caleb Williams' inconsistent footwork as it relates to accuracy issues: "When he was doing it properly, the ball came out on time and I thought he was delivering accurate footballs. But it’s still not 100 percent all the time. And that’s something we’re working…
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) September 10, 2025
How can Williams get to the point of being as accurate as Johnson wants him to be?
Keep in mind that the goal Johnson had set for Williams before training camp was being over 70% on his completion percentage. After starting the season 10% under, there is some clear work that needs to be done.
Part of the reason for the miscues was that Williams faced more pressure than some Bears fans would have hoped. Outside of left guard Joe Thuney, there was too much inconsistency from the offensive line.
Williams also reverted to his hero ball mentality, which isn't always a bad thing. It paid off in the first half with some nice passes, including the 17-yard strike on the sidelines to Rome Odunze on the opening drive and Williams' scramble for the nine-yard touchdown on the same drive.
There are plenty of flashes of great moments, but for example, the intentional grounding call at the end of the third quarter, leading to a long 50-yard field goal, hurt the Bears. Granted, Cairo Santos should make that field goal in today's age of strong-footed kickers, but losing those precious yards hurt the team as well.
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It all comes down to a combination of more consistent blocking, not abandoning the running game, and keeping Williams in the pocket. At the same time, Williams needs to continue to work on his decision-making in a scramble drill because his mistakes against the Vikings may not end the same way against a talented Detroit Lions team on Sunday.