In the Bears’ celebratory postgame locker room last Saturday night, Caleb Williams, surrounded by his team, shouted out Ben Johnson. With a game ball in hand, the second-year quarterback stressed how much the first-year head coach has already impacted the franchise.
“For me personally,” Williams added, choking up, “he’s been monumental in my life so far.”
After a disappointing rookie season, Williams is suddenly building a reputation as “The Iceman,” one of football’s most clutch players. Chicago’s dramatic wild-card victory over the Packers, in which the Bears overcame a 21-6 deficit, marked Williams’ seventh fourth-quarter comeback of the season. That’s the most in a season by any quarterback under age 25 in NFL history.
Bears fans will certainly never forget his ridiculous fourth-and-8 conversion to Rome Odunze late to keep the team’s hopes alive — rolling to his left and throwing a fading jump pass across his body against pressure to hit the receiver 27 yards downfield. Given the difficulty of the pass and the gravity of the moment, it was the biggest throw we’ve seen so far in the playoffs.
“I think that’s just something that he’s had, and he is just born with,” tight end Cole Kmet said of Williams. “He’s just got great poise out there … and I think he understands, especially this year, when he has to go make a play and when it’s needed. I think we’ve seen that come up time and time again.”
It’s a huge change for Williams, who’s dealt with plenty of challenges and scrutiny in his early days as the Bears’ franchise quarterback. The 5-12 record last season. His highly-publicized struggles in training camp this past summer. Williams described his relationship with Johnson at that point as “pretty fragile.” He felt the former Lions offensive coordinator didn’t even like him. Some questioned if Williams and his off-schedule playmaking could mesh with Johnson’s structured offense.
Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson may have had a rocky start in training camp, but their relationship has grown throughout the season. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Then, there was Williams’ lack of success compared to what his peers in the QB class of 2024 have accomplished. Jayden Daniels put together arguably the best rookie quarterback season in NFL history, leading the Commanders to their first NFC title game in 33 years. The Patriots’ Drake Maye could win MVP in Year 2. The Broncos’ Bo Nix has started his career with back-to-back playoff appearances, including a No. 1 seed this season.
Now, Williams is starting to make a name for himself on the biggest stage.
Yes, the completion rate needs to improve — his 58.6% mark during the regular season ranked second-worst among qualified quarterbacks. His ability to channel Patrick Mahomes when playing off-script can be overshadowed by his bad misses on routine throws.
But the arrow is pointed up for Williams, who set a new Bears’ single-season record for passing yards (3,942) in 2025. Over the past five games, including the wild-card round, he’s averaging 279.0 passing yards per contest (the NFL-high for the season was 276.9 by Matthew Stafford). He has 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions with only five sacks taken in that span.
Regardless of what happens in the divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams, it sets up a potential breakout Year 3 for Williams — and a bright long-term future for the Bears.
“He’s a completely different quarterback than when we first took this job,” Johnson said last week.
Williams credited his coach for his development.
“I would say he’s helped with the confidence, because you go out there and you read the defense,” Williams said of Johnson. “I have these meetings with him and our trust and relationship, our bond has grown, and so when you have that trust, and you got somebody that has your back, has your six, the confidence goes through the roof.”
And Johnson won’t stop pouring belief into Williams anytime soon.
Ahead of the Bears’ wild-card game against the Packers, he expressed no concerns with Williams headed into his first NFL postseason.
“He was built for these moments,” Johnson explained. “He plays his best when we need him to. And so, there’s really not a whole lot that needs to be said. He just needs to be him.”
For “The Iceman,” that means more big moments in the clutch.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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