Ben Johnson has been hard on Caleb Williams, to a point the quarterback was unsure if the Bears’ head coach even liked him.

That’s how tough things were in the early going. Johnson overloaded Williams with information and responsibility starting in the spring, then heaped even more on him after a Week 5 bye.

“At certain parts, it felt like our relationship was pretty [fragile], from my perspective,” Williams said. “It was like, ‘[Man], this dude doesn’t seem like he likes me.’ “

It wasn’t that. Johnson was establishing a championship standard for quarterback play and expected nothing less. There were some growing pains as Williams tried to reach such a high bar. We all remember summertime struggles with the basics, of the offense failing to line up right or get the snap before the play clock ran out.

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It’s not easy being Johnson’s quarterback, and it takes tons of work to get everything right. Williams stuck within, rolled with the tongue lashings and kept improving bit by bit.

Then there was the technical stuff, becoming efficient with his footwork and working well under center and in the play-action passing game.  And there was a balance of playing within structure versus the off-schedule magic that Williams can create but might be too quick to do.

All of it required evolution that Williams has welcomed. He’s already come so far, knowing full well this is a multiyear project.

Johnson has seen tremendous growth in his young quarterback, a main reason why the Bears are the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed. They’ll face the Green Bay Packers for a third time Saturday night at Soldier Field in the NFC wild-card round.

“He’s a completely different quarterback than when we first took this job,” Johnson said in a Tuesday press conference. “I think back to the springtime, during camp at times and some of the struggles that we were having as an offense in those moments, we’ve certainly moved past that.

“I’m encouraged for where he’s at right now. I know he’s really looking forward to this opportunity to go out there. He’s played some good football here, particularly in the back half of the season for us, and we’re going to need that. We’re going to need him at his best. We’re going to need all of our players at their best. I’m hopeful we’re going to get that.”

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Williams has been at his best in big moments. He has a league-high six fourth-quarter comebacks and as many game-winning drives, proof that he’s ready for such a massive moment coming up Saturday.

That will mark Williams’ first-ever NFL playoff game, but that won’t bring nerves. The 24-year-old said he last got nervous in high school, when his Gonzaga College High School team took on the Gilman School in Baltimore. Even in rivalry games at Oklahoma and USC, Williams wasn’t rattled. His faith in himself and his ability to meet the moment supersedes all that.

“I think it’s just the trust I have in myself, the belief in myself,” Williams said in a Tuesday press conference. “A little bit of that arrogant confidence on the football field. And then the trust and belief and who I have protecting me, the trust and belief in who I have calling the game and then the trust and belief in who I have on the outside and in the backfield.” 

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There’s confidence in what Williams and the Bears can do. It’s unwavering, even in tough times. That has allowed Chicago to be at its best under pressure, and all that starts with the quarterback.

“I feel that I’ve grown tremendously so far this year, and it’s exciting to see,” Williams said. “That record was more or less the growth that I’ve had. That’s where I’ve been at, that’s where my mindset’s been at and then at this moment, it’s at an all-time high for myself, of confidence. I’m going to go into the game that way. I’m going to bring that this week. I’m going to bring energy this week for the guys and bring the urgency, because that’s what we need.”