Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Offensive Mastermind Ben Johnson Lauded by Caleb Williams for Setting High Standards for the Bears

Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears started the 2025 NFL season with two losses in a row. But, since then, they have now pulled off three consecutive wins, including those against the Cowboys and, most recently, the Commanders.

Monday night’s win over Washington after their week 5 bye week was described by quarterback Caleb Williams as the new identity of this team. This team is one that is more resilient, confident, and has the ability to win games that they would have otherwise lost.

So, what has changed in Chicago over the past offseason? Well, the most important factor has been the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson, the former Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator. Johnson is being credited for the change of culture in Chicago, and Williams has witnessed it firsthand.

Statement win. pic.twitter.com/O2XQ3wjVOv
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 14, 2025

Caleb Williams Praise for Ben Johnson

What Ben Johnson was able to achieve in Detroit under Dan Campbell was there for everyone to see. The high-flying offense of the Lions caught the eye of the Bears’ think tank, and that led to the hiring of Johnson as the new head coach in the Windy City.

One thing to note about Ben Johnson is that he runs a complex offensive scheme, and one that takes time to understand comprehensively. Following the win over the Commanders, Bears, Williams called Johnson a mastermind and credited his self-belief and confidence in himself, something that then resonates with the rest of the team.

“He is a mastermind,” said Williams. “Sometimes he’s on the headset and it’s like this is a great play call right here. Here we go. So he has all the belief and confidence in himself. Those little things actually provide confidence when you’re about to go call the play.”

Williams also credited the Bears’ new head coach as the one to set the standard as a team capable of winning 10, 11, 12-plus games this season.

Three in a rowww 🔥
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 14, 2025

Complexity of Ben Johnson’s Offense

Earlier in the year, wide receiver Rome Odunze spoke to the media and mentioned that the new offense under Ben Johnson isn’t something that can be understood in one year; it’s something that takes a little bit of evolving to get there.

In a sit-down interview, Williams was asked for his take on this statement, and the second-year quarterback touched on the fact that it looks quite complex for the opposing defenses since everything looks the same, but runs differently, and that allows Chicago to get its players open.

“It’s just how complex it looks for the defense,” William said before elaborating. “It’s trying to make everything look the same but be different. Just being on the details. You know, a keeper, play action, screen, and a drop back, and all of these different things. They’ll all look the same. The routes and the arc of the route and things like that all look the same for a defense and a quarterback or a linebacker, safety. And then it’s different.”

Mastering such a complicated scheme will no doubt take time for the players to understand and practice before it can be executed to perfection. Having said that, the Bears have now won three in a row, and if they can keep the momentum going, perhaps this team may be well ahead of schedule.

Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Ben Johnson

Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!