The Chicago Bears have been one of the NFL’s most pleasant surprises this season, taking the next step under Ben Johnson and controlling their own destiny for the NFC North title for the first time since 2018.
NBC Sports analyst and Super Bowl Champion NFL Head Coach Tony Dungy sat down with Johnson to discuss their rise and his time as a head coach in the NFL to this point. In the interview, the topic shifts to QB Caleb Williams, and Johnson offers some insight into how he leads and what he brings to the Bears off the field.
‘Everybody Talks About The Arm’
Caleb Williams was brought into Chicago with a plan and with pieces that the Bears hoped would develop into a successful operation. Even with that, I don’t think anyone thought they would be in the driver’s seat for a division title during his second season at the helm.
According to our PFSN QB Impact Rankings, Williams grades as the 18th-best quarterback in the NFL, with a 75.1 Impact Score, which is good for a C grade. This represents an improvement from his rookie year, when he graded a D+ and ranked 31st among his peers at the position.
What was interesting in this interview was that Johnson decided not to address his improvement as what he is most impressed with; instead, he said, “What I’ve been blown away with is his competitive drive. He loves football. He wants to be great.”
Coach Ben Johnson opens up with Tony Dungy in a great interview on NBC.
Ben on Caleb: Everybody talks about the arm, talent and ability to create. What I’ve been blown away with is his competitive drive. He loves football. He wants to be great. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/L2Ngpbv8K5
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) December 25, 2025
The Bears can clinch the NFC North title with a win or a loss by the arch-rival Green Bay Packers. With two games to go, Chicago’s next game is in San Francisco on Sunday Night Football against the 49ers, who have an identical 11-4 record as Chicago. Interestingly, the Packers play the Baltimore Ravens at home on Saturday night, so the Bears could be crowned NFC North champions before taking the field Sunday.
In any case, it is great to see one of the most historic franchises in all of football competitive and back in the playoffs, and the coach and quarterback fully in sync and focused on maximizing the potential of what they are building. Once the playoffs start, anything is possible, and the Bears will look to ride their momentum to a second Super Bowl victory.
