Sunday's 31-14 win for the Chicago Bears over the Dallas Cowboys was more than win number one for head coach Ben Johnson. It was a significant step in the right direction for Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Many have been calling his performance the best of his career. Williams finished the game completing 19 of 28 for 298 yards and four touchdowns to zero interceptions. The four touchdowns are tied for the highest of his young career.
While the accuracy is still somewhat to be desired by fans (63.4% through three games), Williams has done everything else right. In fact, he is climbing his way up the NFL rankings like he hasn't done yet.
Passing Category | Caleb Williams' Numbers | NFL Ranking |
|---|---|---|
Yards | 715 | 11th |
Touchdowns | 7 | Tied-2nd |
QBR | 66.7 | 9th |
Passer Rating | 107.6 | 6th |
Those numbers will support Johnson's latest comments on Williams with how he has progressed and played within the system against the Cowboys on Sunday.
"When the offensive line protects like that, it's a lot easier to play from the pocket," Johnson said via Bear Goggles On's Nicholas Moreano. "I thought, zero sacks. We had a very clean pocket for the most part. That's the starting point, and he's got the ability to escape and extend and all that, but man, if we can keep him in there, our playmakers are some dynamic route runners that we can get the ball to them in space. I think he saw when he plays on time, he's trusting the hitches within his drops and we can be an explosive offense that way. So, there is a lot of ways that Caleb Williams can hurt ya, and like I said, when we have pass protection like we had yesterday, that certainly helps."
Ben Johson on how he has seen Caleb Williams play within structure and what his assessment was of the quarterback's performance against the Cowboys:
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) September 22, 2025
"When the offensive line protects like that, it's a lot easier to play from the pocket. I thought, zero sacks. We had a very clean…
Williams could be on his way to a record-breaking season for Chicago
With Johnson's backing and the statistics to support it, it's hard not to look forward to the near future to see what the franchise quarterback could do in 2025. Williams is at an impressive pace that it could be a season unlike any Bears fans have ever seen.
If Williams keeps his averages through three games the same, not only is he on pace to break records, but he will shatter them. He's on pace to throw for 4,052 yards, the first QB in franchise history to ever do that, 40 touchdown passes, also a franchise record, and throw just six interceptions, matching his mark last year. He is also on pace to rush for 561 yards and six touchdowns.
While the rushing numbers are far below what Justin Fields did a few years ago, nobody in Bears history would have touched what Williams could do in the passing department. Those are the type of numbers that would easily put him in the conversation for NFL MVP, depending on how the team was doing in the season.
Read more: Bears rubbed salt in the wound after Matt Eberflus' rough game with Cowboys
Are these numbers sustainable? Perhaps not, but it does demonstrate the type of progress Williams is making and what the future could hold. It's easy to get caught up in the fact that Williams is the guy the Bears have been looking for, and these numbers prove it.