Joe Rivera and Chris Bumbaka tackle the Eagles vs. the Bears on Black Friday.
- The Chicago Bears, under new head coach Ben Johnson, have improved to an 8–3 record this season.
- Quarterback Caleb Williams credits the team’s newfound success to the confidence Johnson instilled in the players.
- Analysts have drawn comparisons between Johnson’s impact on the Bears and Sean McVay’s transition to the Los Angeles Rams in 2017.
- Despite the team’s winning record, experts say Williams still needs to improve his efficiency.
“Shoot, I don’t remember much about last year, honestly, I don’t remember much about last week,” Johnson told reporters this week. “That was a very strange game, it came down to controversy. Being there on the opposing side, it was good for Detroit that week. That’s all I remember though.”
This Black Friday, the Bears – facing the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) – are 8-3 with a chance to hold on to first place in the NFC North. They have won four in a row and eight of the last 10. Johnson, now the Bears head coach, took over from Caleb Williams in Year 2 and completely changed the culture on the shore of Lake Michigan.
The Bears are 6–1 in one-score games this season, but they have a negative point differential (minus-3), making Chicago the third team in the Super Bowl era to start 8-3 or better and still have a negative point differential. Compare this to Eberflus’ tenure, when he went 5–19, the worst record of any coach with at least 20 such games in NFL history. Johnson’s victory speech from the locker room deserves the must-watch tag.
Asked what the biggest difference is this season from 2024, Williams responded “It’s confidence.”
“When you have a certain amount of trust between players and special teams, defense and offense, all three phases, that trust becomes contagious. That’s something that Ben has provided to us and other coaches have provided to us and instilled in us, that’s that trust.
“We’re coming through with these wins. Obviously, these recent wins have been a little closer than we wanted, but that’s what the NFL is about. We’re going to keep growing and try and focus on winning games. Like I said, belief has probably been the main thing that has carried us through these games.”
Shades of Sean McVay in Ben Johnson?
For Andrew Whitworth, the 2025 Bears remind him somewhat of the 2017 Los Angeles Rams. The second-year quarterback rose to the No. 1 overall pick after finding comfort in a complex offensive system that can be quite friendly to quarterbacks once he eventually gets the hang of it. The Rams went 11–5 and won the NFC West.
Whitworth noted the investments made in the offensive line – the Bears signed center Drew Dallman and guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. Like McVay, who hired Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator, Johnson went with a former head coach for his defensive coordinator in Dennis Allen.
Whitworth said of McVay, “I thought ‘he’s the real deal,’ the way he did it, the mentality he had for it, and where they went, I give him a lot of credit.” “Because I think it’s his attitude that has put him in a position to be successful.
“Some of the steps he took told me this guy understood this.”
A solid run game is any developing quarterback’s best friend, and the Bears have the league’s second-best points per game average (142.3, behind the Buffalo Bills). But Williams’ steady improvement has been the most welcome development for Bears fans — with Johnson’s fingerprints everywhere.
Williams said that what he had heard from friends in the NFL, whether they played for him in Detroit or encountered him elsewhere, made him excited to work with Johnson. He still kept expectations low.
“Being here with him now, he’s done everything he told me,” Williams told reporters. “Just going out there and fighting for him, for all the coaches and all the players in Chicago. I think he’s provided that belief for us, that confidence, but also discipline. When you have all different things and belief in your coaches, belief in each other, you start to be able to win some games. Even win some unfavorable games.”
Ben Johnson is exactly what Caleb Williams needs
Additionally, Johnson has been adamant about never giving Williams excessive or inappropriate praise. The training camp headlines certainly weren’t positive reviews of the Bears’ offense or Williams’ control of the operation.
“It’s not going to be a buddy-buddy friendship,” Prime Video analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick said of the Williams-Johnson braintrust. “I think this is exactly what Caleb Williams needs. He needs a coach who is tough on him, who demands a lot of him, who doesn’t hold on to mistakes.
“Because of his record (Johnson) has received support from everyone on the team and in the organization,”
Williams has scramble and play-making ability and may be the best thrower in the running backs, Fitzpatrick said. However, how far he can take the Bears depends on his ability to pass efficiently from the pocket.
“They’ve made some improvements, yes, but they still have a long way to go,” Fitzpatrick said.
The good news is that Williams considers himself a process-oriented quarterback. But at the same time, there’s also the burdensome reality of the NFL.
“I think we need to win the game,” Williams said. “I think we have to complete passes.”
There was a time not long ago when it felt like a lot was being asked of this organization.
<a href=