The Chicago Bears began the Ben Johnson era with a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football at Soldier Field. After only giving up six points to the Vikings through three quarters, the Bears conceded 21 points in the fourth quarter.
While questions about the defense are bound to arise, many national NFL analysts are talking about quarterback Caleb Williams. The second-year quarterback completed 21 of 35 passes for 210 yards and one passing touchdown. He also recorded 58 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Even though 24 points should have been enough for the victory, Williams and the Bears' offense couldn't deliver the decisive blow against the Vikings.
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CBS Sports NFL analyst Bryant McFadden called out Williams for his performance, as outside of the first drive, he believes was underwhelming considering he was facing off against a quarterback making his first ever start.
"We saw growing pains for Caleb Williams outside the first drive, where he looked very, very comfortable," McFadden said on "CBS Sports HQ." "Then we saw the ebbs and flows in this ball game. They don't want to wait for that—they want to see the benefits right now, especially Caleb, in this quarterback matchup. You're playing against a quarterback making his first NFL start, who didn't take one snap a year ago.
"You're supposed to outplay J.J. McCarthy regardless of how the game ends. The individual matchup winner—you're not playing against each other. Your stat line should be better than J.J. McCarthy, who was missing his left tackle and his second-best receiver, Jordan Addison. And he flourished, making the necessary plays."
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Moreover, McFadden criticized Williams for not performing like a professional quarterback, which won't sit well with Johnson.
"He has to learn how to be a professional quarterback," McFadden added. "What I mean when I say that is to make timely throws within the pocket. Oftentimes, he gets into this seven-on-seven mentality, where he just wants to run around the yard and throw off script.
"Sometimes you have to do that. But in this offense with Ben Johnson, it's a rhythm, it's a timing offense. You have to have the proper footwork to deliver these passes on time. And we didn't see that, especially in the third and fourth quarters."