Caleb Williams Gives Ben Johnson ‘One Smile’ and Wins LFG Player of the Game

Caleb Williams picked a good time to have a career day.

With criticism surrounding Williams seeming to be at its loudest this past week, the Chicago Bears quarterback threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns in their dominant 31-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on “America’s Game of the Week.”

Of course, the win was as big for Williams and the Bears as it was the first for first-year head coach Ben Johnson and helped turn down the heat in the Windy City. But Williams’ performance also allowed him to win Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game.

While Soldier Field was in a jubilant mood for much of Sunday afternoon, Williams shared that his head coach kept it cool throughout the Bears’ impressive offensive performance. 

“He cracked one smile. He cracked one smile toward the end of the game,” Williams told Brady. “He’s a tough coach. He’s mentally tough. He’s tough on us. But we appreciate that. When you win, the film is not as good as you think. When you lose, the film’s not as bad as you think. So, we’re going to go out there and try to fix everything we need to fix to go out here and do it again.” 

If that’s true, that means Johnson didn’t crack a smile during one of the most impressive plays in the NFL so far this season. In the first quarter, the Bears executed a flea flicker when Williams connected with Luther Burden III for a 65-yard touchdown to give them a 14-3 lead at the time. 

The play drew amazement from everyone at Soldier Field, with Brady dropping an “Oh my God” on the broadcast. Well, everyone but Johnson, apparently.

But Johnson might not have been as amazed with the play, considering how often he ran trick plays to success during his tenure as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator. His creativity and ability to elevate Lions quarterback Jared Goff made him a top head coach candidate over the last few seasons, with many believing Johnson could take Williams to the next level. 

Sunday was the first time that we saw what the ceiling of the Johnson-Williams partnership could look like, but the work of making Sunday’s performance happen started months ago. 

“A lot of trust,” Williams said of how the Bears were able to execute on Sunday. “All the hard work we put in throughout OTAs, training camp and still this week, last week and the week before, preparing for each game that we go out here and try to execute these plays that Ben and the coaches are drawing up for us. The ultimate trust is within those guys, the other 10 guys on the field. It makes me to be able to play a clean game, easy completions and get the ball in their hands.

“Obviously, we got the big shots today and took them.”

Beyond Williams, the Bears’ offense has many other pieces that some viewed as players with untapped potential. Nearly all of them made a notable play or two in Sunday’s win. Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Cole Kmet each had touchdown grabs. First-round rookie Colston Loveland had a big 31-yard catch early on. Running back D’Andre Swift had 78 total yards. And just as important, the offensive line didn’t allow a single sack.

Williams made sure to credit those guys, and himself, for Sunday’s 385-yard day, which included a 19-play touchdown drive in the third quarter. 

“I think it’s all the hard work we’ve all put in, myself included,” Williams said. “The footwork, having my eyes in the right spot, being able to see the defense and have an idea pre-snap, and then, the linemen and stuff protecting me. I didn’t get sacked today or anything like that. Then, a lot of guys were making plays.” 

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