Bears Are Winning, But Ben Johnson Knows the Passing Game Has to Catch Up
Ben Johnson isn’t in the business of handing out participation trophies. Even with the Chicago Bears sitting atop the NFC through Week 13 in his first season as head coach, Johnson is keeping it real - and he’s not sugarcoating the state of his offense.
Yes, the Bears are rolling on the ground. They’ve got the NFL’s second-best rushing attack, and it’s been the engine of their success.
But the passing game? That’s still a work in progress - and Johnson isn’t pretending otherwise.
At the center of that struggle is Caleb Williams. The second-year quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick hasn't yet lived up to the sky-high expectations that followed him into the league. There have been flashes - moments that remind you why he was the top pick - but consistency has been elusive.
After Chicago’s gritty Black Friday win over the Eagles, Johnson celebrated with his team in the locker room. But when it came time to talk about the offense, he didn’t mince words.
“Everybody has a role to play to get this pass game cleaned up. It’s not where it needs to be,” Johnson said.
“We’re winning in spite of our passing game, not because of it. And none of us are pleased with that.”
That’s about as honest as it gets. Johnson didn’t name names, but it’s clear who’s in the spotlight. Williams is the one pulling the trigger every Sunday, and right now, the Bears aren’t getting enough from their aerial attack to complement their dominant ground game.
And it’s not just on the quarterback. There’s plenty of blame to go around.
Let’s start with DJ Moore. He’s the veteran of the receiver room, but his effort and attention to detail have been inconsistent - and that’s putting it mildly.
For a young offense trying to find its identity, Moore’s leadership has to be more than just vocal. The Bears are relying on him to set the tone for rookies Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, and so far, that tone has been uneven.
Burden, to his credit, is loaded with talent. Anyone watching can see it.
But he’s still adjusting to the complexity of Johnson’s offensive system - and it’s showing. Meanwhile, Odunze has caught just 44 of his 90 targets, a sub-50% catch rate that suggests the chemistry between him and Williams is still a work in progress.
The numbers paint a clear picture. According to Pro Football Focus, Bears receivers have dropped 7.6% of Williams’ passes this season - one of the highest rates in the league.
Even so, Williams is completing just 58.1% of his throws. That’s low, especially when you consider he’s taking relatively few risks.
Per Next Gen Stats, his aggressive throw rate sits at just 10.5%, the lowest in the NFL.
That tells us a couple things: Williams isn’t forcing the ball into tight windows, but he’s still struggling with accuracy - and his receivers aren’t doing him many favors.
So where does that leave Johnson? Probably leaning even harder into what’s working: the run game and the tight ends. Jared Colston, Colston Loveland, and Cole Kmet have been reliable targets, and they may be the best way to keep the passing game afloat while the wideouts and quarterback continue to find their rhythm.
There are still moments that make you believe. Take Williams’ highlight-reel play against the Eagles - the kind of off-script magic that only a handful of quarterbacks in the league can pull off.
Plays like that show the ceiling. But Johnson knows the Bears won’t reach that ceiling unless Williams can start stacking routine completions, not just the spectacular ones.
This offense doesn’t need to be perfect. With the way they’re running the ball and the defense playing lights out, it just needs to be better. And Johnson’s not waiting around for it to happen - he’s demanding it.