When the Bears have the ball
Caleb Williams quarterbacks a Bears offense that ranks eighth in the NFL in points per game (25.8) and fourth in total yards (373.8), second rushing (146.6) and 13th passing (227.2). The unit entered Week 12 having produced a league-high 82 explosive plays, which include runs of at least 10 yards and passes of 20-plus yards.
This year, Williams has thrown for 2,329 yards with 13 touchdowns, four interceptions and an 89.9 passer rating and has rushed for 272 yards and three TDs on 52 carries. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft has been sacked only 16 times in 10 games after taking 68 sacks in 17 starts last year as a rookie.
“I see improvement, and that’s what excites you about any player,” Johnson said. “You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse, and I see a guy that is getting significantly better every week whether the stats look that way or not. From a coach’s lens, we feel it. His approach is very sound with what he’s doing right now.
“Day-in and day-out, it’s very difficult to be consistent in this league with how you go about your business, and yet I think he’s done a really nice job of taking a lot of information and being able to apply it in a short amount of time. That’s the starting point to him with me. I think we’re going to continue to see him play faster, play with anticipation the more he gets reps with these particular plays, the ones that we feature the most. I am very pleased right now with where he’s at.”
Williams has been at his best late in close games, engineering winning scoring drives in five of his last seven starts and six of his last 11 outings dating back to last year’s season finale in Green Bay.
His top target has been second-year receiver Rome Odunze, who has 39 receptions and is one of six NFL receivers with at least 600 yards and six TDs.
Williams has passed for eight TDs with no interceptions against the blitz and hopes to continue that success against a Steelers defense that blitzes at the sixth highest rate in the NFL at 33.2%. Interestingly, the unit ranks third in the league with 33 sacks but is last in passing yards allowed per game (261.7).
Pittsburgh’s defense is led by edge rushers T.J. Watt (6.0 sacks), Alex Highsmith (5.5) and Nick Herbig (6.5).
“They’ve got some werewolves on the outside,” Johnson said. “They have some of the best first steps you’ll see in this league. When you have both sides that you’re concerned about, that’s where you’ve got to be pretty creative as a play designer to make sure that they don’t affect the game in a negative fashion.”
The Bears could counteract Pittsburgh’s pass rush by running the ball. They have produced at least 140 yards on the ground in three straight and five of their last six games after not reaching the 140-yard mark in any of their first four contests. Since Week 6, the Bears lead the NFL in total yards (404.3) and rushing yards (176.2) per game.
“I kind of thought there would be some growing pains, and there were,” Johnson said. “It takes a while for some guys to gel up front. You’re asking a few of them to do some things they maybe haven’t done quite that way before. [Line coaches] Dan Roushar, Kyle DeVan, I keep bringing their names up. They’re really the driving force behind it. It’s not sexy when you watch their individual periods. But it’s constant over and over and over again; how are we going to fit these players, the pads. You keep doing it, you buy in and you start seeing the success come from it. It has been a huge part of what we’re doing right now.”
D’Andre Swift leads the Bears in rushing with 634 yards and four TDs on 134 carries, while seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai is fifth among NFL rookie runners with 413 yards and three TDs on 87 attempts.
Key matchup: Bears right tackle Darnell Wright vs. Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt
Wright is in the midst of his best season since being selected by the Bears with the 10th pick in the 2023 draft out of Tennessee. On Sunday, he’ll be challenged by one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers in Watt, who has been voted to the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven pro seasons. Watt tied Michael Strahan’s single-season NFL record with 22.5 sacks in 2021 and is the second fastest player to reach 100 sacks behind only Hall of Famer Reggie White.
“T.J. Watt is slippery,” said offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. “He plays with high effort … and he gets the football out. That’s really the biggest thing about their defense, is the takeaways that show up. He’s a guy that you have to account for on every snap.”
