Bears mailbag: How Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson can improve after Week 1 loss
A rough Bears loss always leads to tough questions about the state of the team. They’re all fair from a fan base that provides tough love and has experienced 11 losses in the last 12 Bears games.
The latest, Monday night’s 27-24 defeat by the Minnesota Vikings, was tough for fans to take. They booed the home team after the clock ran out, clearly demanding better from a team that entered the season opener with surrounded by optimism at hope.
That led to a mailbag full of questions asking why things went south in a winnable game that fell apart in the fourth quarter. Let’s get to them in this Wednesday edition of Bair Mail.
Rosie V from Deerfield, Ill.
Hey Scott,
Monday’s loss was brutal. I was pacing like it was a playoff game, but I believe in Caleb and Ben Johnson. Caleb shows flashes of elite talent and Ben’s vision for the offense is there when the play calling hits. I know my opinion is probably “too optimistic”, but I know we can get this thing going in due time.
What did you like about what you saw against the Vikings, and do you believe there’s progress?
Bair: Gotta say, Rosie might’ve just dropped the first positive question following a loss. Like, ever. It’s appreciated in this instance because it shouldn’t be all doom and gloom right now. And this is not a “here we go again,” situation.
The most important thing I saw was the offensive creativity in the passing game and a commitment to running the football. They did not run well. At all. But this offense will ignite if they can figure that part out. It’ll open up playaction and give Caleb Williams more time in the pocket.
His accuracy was an issue, but his decision making was not. If coaches can clean up his intermediate throws especially, the Bears offense might be on to something.
Michael K from Iowa City, Iowa
Why didn’t we see the tight ends involved much in the passing game?
Bair: Fair question, Michael, especially with the Bears in 12 personnel so often over the course of the game. Colston Loveland had two catches on as many targets for 12 yards. Cole Kmet was targeted four times and had one 31-yard catch, and he had to go get that one. Williams missed him wide open once but, overall, the tight ends were often asked to help in protection or work in the run game.
Johnson addressed that in his postgame press conference.
“They knew that they were going to have a workmanlike approach to this game,” Johnson said. “They were going to be big factors in the run game and in protection as well. As a result, the receiving game might not have been quite as big this week.”
That’s a game-plan thing, and I would anticipate them being more involved in Week 2 against the Lions.
Jaxon from Streamwood, Ill.
How will the Bears bounce back next week? And how will Ben Johnson fare in his first game back in Detroit?
Bair: I’d bet Johnson spends the week trying to tamp the “return to Detroit” narrative down, making it more about his players than about him as a coach. That’s just his way. And it’s not like Johnson left on bad terms. He had an opportunity to advance his career by going elsewhere and did just that. His former Lions players love him, and there will likely be some emotional moments after the game.
Beforehand, it’ll be all business. Johnson will surely dial up some creative plays, and the Lions looked vulnerable in the middle of the field and with their offensive consistency. The Bears have their issues, too, but Johnson’s trying to take his new team off the mat. The Lions have been on top for a while.
I think Johnson will handle all the attention, wanted or not, with grace and work to get his team a win. They surely need it after what happened on Monday night.
Sean Gallick from Scottsdale, Ariz.
Time to bring in Jake Moody
Bair: I don’t think it’s time to give up on Cairo Santos. Not even close, considering his track record kicking for this team. He’s also a team captain elected by his peers, so a change at kicker wouldn’t go over well in the locker room. Yeah, he missed from 50 yards out. He may not miss another one all season, if he follows his history kicking from distance.
I also don’t think going after a kicker that just got waived — even a highly drafted one — is the way to fix things, either. Santos will be good over the long haul, though it’s fair to say he had a really bad fourth quarter. Such is life for kickers, who influence the outcome almost every time they touch the field.