Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams didn't exactly light the world on fire with his performance after losing to the Detroit Lions 52-21 on Sunday.
Williams completed 19 of 30 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns to one interception. He also ran for another 27 yards on five carries in the loss.
It was a mixed bag of Williams struggling to connect on the deep balls to his receivers and reverting back to his bad habits of trying to play too much hero ball, resulting in mistakes being made. His one interception came from him trying to throw the ball away and misjudging it and getting picked off.
Many Bears fans started the week with concerns that Williams isn't progressing like they had hoped after two games. His head coach feels differently.
Ben Johnson expresses his feelings on Williams' development through two games
Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke with the media on Monday where he discussed Williams' performance in the game. Johnson is encouraged by his quarterback's development from Week 1 to Week 2.
"I did see significant growth. It’s not perfect yet. There’s still a number of plays where our eyes aren’t quite in the right position or we’re holding onto the ball just a tick longer than what we’re coaching. But I did see tremendous growth in terms of going through the progression. There were a few times there where we had to get to number three or four in the read and he was trusting his feet and his footwork and was able to get there. I did think he got better from Week 1 to Week 2. I’m encouraged by what I saw and I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to see another leap here this week."
This was Ben Johnson on #Bears QB Caleb Williams and if he saw improvement from Week 1 to Week 2:
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) September 15, 2025
"I did see significant growth. It’s not perfect yet. There’s still a number of plays where our eyes aren’t quite in the right position or we’re holding onto the ball just a tick…
Through two games, Williams has completed 61.5% of his passes (one percent down from last year's total) for 417 yards and three touchdowns to one interception. He's also run for 85 yards and one touchdown on the year.
Some positives are that Williams has improved his passer rating (87.8 in 2024 to 89.1 in 2025) and his QBR (43.3 in 2024 to 57.5 in 2025) year over year. He's also averaging 7.7 yards per carry and is on pace to nearly double his rushing yards from 2024 to 2025.
In some aspects, Johnson is right that Williams is showing improvements. He does seem more decisive with his decisions, throwing the football, and more confident. Williams struggles, though, when he faces pressure, as it can either turn out to be a great play or a massive negative play.
Read more: Jaylon Johnson sets the record straight with Bears fans on mystery injury status
Two games might be too early for Bears fans to start panicking about Williams, but to hear Johnson is still happy with his progression is a positive. As Williams said himself, there are 15 games left in the season. Still time for the Bears to turn things around.