Bears QB Caleb Williams checking
his footwork and passing fundamentals before facing the Lions
[September 11, 2025]
By GENE CHAMBERLAIN
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is
doing his best to ward off negative thoughts after a losing start to
the season.
Williams — 21 of 35 for 210 yards — couldn’t beat the Minnesota
Vikings on Monday night and he did more damage at times with his
legs during the 27-24 loss in Ben Johnson’s first game as coach of
the Bears.
“There was a lot of positive that came out of that,” Williams said
Wednesday. “Obviously, we had negatives. Within that game, kind of
how coach Johnson said, we had more negative plays than they did and
we lost the game.
“It’s being able to find in those moments where maybe a drive goes
bad and it’s being able to find those ways to come back together and
go out the next drive and be efficient and do what we did in the
first half.”
Williams started 10 for 10 but struggled to the finish, exactly the
opposite of the Vikings' J.J. McCarthy. In his first start, McCarthy
threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and ran one in to spark
the rally from a 17-6 fourth-quarter deficit.
A key moment came when Williams overthrew wide receiver DJ Moore
wide open running deep to the pylon.
“It’s frustrating because like I said after the game, you did
everything up to that point right and then you miss a pass,”
Williams said. “That’s something that we practice on, something that
we get after and something that I’m going to keep getting after,
keep correcting.
“Passes that I feel that I typically don’t miss in those moments and
situations, especially with some of the passes being what they were
and how wide open, you miss and you move on. You correct and you
find ways to get better.”
Williams’ throws to other open receivers went into the ground while
others sailed wide during his second-half errant stretch. It caused
worries about the next game Sunday, when the Bears face Johnson's
former team at Detroit.
“I think some of it, the coming in spurts aspect of it, I think it
came from something as simple as the footwork and just being on top
of that and being smooth with that,” Williams said. “Even if the
footwork was right, it’s just being smooth with it and not being
hesitant and letting it rip.
“I think that’s always something that quarterbacks need to have in
their mind and something I always try to have in my mind is be
decisive. The decisiveness always wins.”
Johnson labels it a case of simple fundamentals with his feet in the
throwing motion.
[to top of second column] |
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs past Minnesota
Vikings defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, left, during the first
half of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Chicago. (AP
Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
“When he was doing it properly, the ball came out
on time,” Johnson said. “I thought that he was delivering accurate
footballs. But it’s still not 100%t all of the time, and that’s
something that we’re working through.”
One thing Williams did do right was scramble. The website NFL
NextGen Stats clocked Williams running 20.45 mph on on run,
reportedly the NFL's eighth-fastest time for Week 1.
Johnson wouldn’t mind seeing some of Williams’ speed directed at
getting the team in and out of the huddle. The Bears had 12
penalties including five pre-snap issues. They also burned a couple
of timeouts to avoid delay-of-game penalties.
“We’ll continue to speed up that process, in terms of breaking the
huddle, from there on out,” Johnson said.
A key is staying positive, Williams said. They’ve only played one
game under Johnson.
“It’s being able to come together as a team, and especially as an
offense, and realize that nobody has to do more than what we’re
asked to do,” Williams added. “That’s myself included. That’s
everybody on the team, but on the offense especially. Just go out
there and do your 1/11th and we all do that on one play at one point
and then we move on to the next play and we do it again.
"Typically, good things come out pretty good on the other side of
that.”
NOTES: The Bears held a walk-through rather than a full practice but
listed cornerback Jaylon Johnson (groin/calf) as able to go through
a full practice for the first time this year if one had been held.
However, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett would have missed practice
with a knee injury suffered Monday.
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