3 start, QB Caleb Williams lauds 'different vibe' with Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears matched their win total from last year during just the first half of the 2025 season.

The Bears are 5-3, tied with the Detroit Lions for second place in the NFC North and only a half-game back from first-place Green Bay. Chicago had five wins total during a disastrous 2024 season that saw coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron fired amid a 10-game losing streak.

The milestone is significant for a Bears team under new leadership with coach Ben Johnson.

"I think it's just a different year, different vibe," quarterback Caleb Williams said. "I think we've done a good job in some of those games; I would say that last year we didn't do a good job in close games, tight games. I think we've won those games, and now we need to get to the point where we're hitting on all cylinders as a team, all three phases of football, to be able to go out there and put up a lot of points and keep the other side with the least amount of points possible."

Three of Chicago's five wins have come in the final moments of games. The Bears blocked a last-second field goal in Las Vegas to beat the Raiders 25-24 in Week 4, kicked a winning field goal in Washington to beat the Commanders by one in Week 6 and won a 47-42 shootout with the Bengals on Sunday.

Johnson credited the resilience of his team for being able to pull off close wins on the road that last year's group would have lost.

"This particular team in years past would find ways to lose games, and now we're finding ways to win games," Johnson said. "So I think they're looking to change that narrative. Now that we've done that, we've got to continue to develop that killer instinct. We're going to continue to get better there. But I think it's a really good group.

"I can't say enough good things about our locker room. We really have zero issues with discipline or anything of that nature. These guys just want to come out and play ball and win games and be there for their teammates. Usually, you've got some bad apples in there, but we really don't. We have just a really strong locker room."

Williams sparked the Bears' comeback in Cincinnati when he hit rookie tight end Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 25 seconds to play. Loveland was named the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday after he had six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

After not throwing a touchdown pass in Weeks 7-8, Williams tossed three in Cincinnati, including the winner. Johnson praised Williams' progress through the first half of the season while noting that it hasn't always been linear.

"I do think he's getting better every week," Johnson said. "There's ups and there's downs. And some weeks are better than others, which we knew. But he's in a lot better place now with his process than he was to start the season. The week isn't necessarily smooth sailing always, but I think that's to be expected with Year 1 in a new system. So he's learning, and he's spending a lot of time at it, so I'm very pleased with his approach. I think we've got the right group of guys around him to help support him. And so I think we're going to continue to see him take off here the second half of the season."

The Bears host the New York Giants in Week 10 and are 3.5-point favorites according to ESPN Bet. Williams' continued growth is critical for Chicago adding to its win total, according to Johnson.

"We got some really good teams coming up on the schedule, starting with this week," Johnson said. "And so, the better Caleb plays, the better off we're going to be in the long run, obviously, but it's going to take all of us here, coaches, players, it's going to take all of us this last stretch."

Click here to read article