First place in the NFC North will be on the line Sunday when the Chicago Bears (9-3) visit the rival Green Bay Packers (8-3-1) at Lambeau Field.
Could the Bears’ unexpected rise to the top of the NFC have first-year coach Ben Johnson in contention for a leaguewide award? Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag begins there.
What are the chances Ben Johnson wins Coach of Year? It’s tough to replicate his year-to-date performance and the positive impact. — @rgbears69
Johnson is clearly in the mix with five weeks remaining in the season. Three of the last five full-time Bears coaches won the award: Dick Jauron (2001), Lovie Smith (2005) and Matt Nagy (2018). What did all three have in common those years? They led a worst-to-first turnaround. The Bears (9-3) are currently atop the NFC North after finishing last in 2024.
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Fanatics Sportsbook listed New England’s Mike Vrabel (-225) as the favorite Wednesday morning. The Patriots (11-2) are in their bye week with the NFL’s best record and also are in position to go from last to first in the AFC East. Vrabel previously won the award in 2021 with the Tennessee Titans.
Johnson (+240) was next, followed by Seattle’s Mike Macdonald (+650), Carolina’s Dave Canales (+2200), Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen (+2200), Dallas’ Brian Schottenheimer (+2500), Jacksonville’s Liam Coen (+2500), San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan (+3500) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay (+3500).
Coaches directing teams that pull off surprising turnarounds have done well in the voting the last 20 years or so. What’s interesting — and this isn’t commentary on any of the current candidates or past winners — is some of the most successful coaches rarely have been honored.
It’s wild to consider Andy Reid, fourth all time with 279 regular-season wins, has won the award only once, in 2002 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, Reid has been blessed with talented rosters over the years. He also developed most of those great players. Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, not a candidate this year, never has won. Neither has Shanahan, and McVay has won only once, in 2017.
Vrabel and Johnson are the hottest candidates for the award right now, and to this point, either would be very deserving.
The “eye test” definitely shows Caleb Williams has been clutch late in games, but I’m wondering how his stats compare in those moments vs. the first 3½ quarters? — Amy G., Wheaton
Williams definitely has been locked in with the game on the line. He has directed five game-winning drives, tied with Carolina’s Bryce Young for second in the league behind Denver’s Bo Nix (six).
When trailing with less than four minutes to play, Williams has a 139.3 passer rating (8 of 19, 225 yards, three touchdowns). He also has run six times for 48 yards and a touchdown in those situations. His fourth-quarter passer rating (99.7) is his best of any quarter.
Overall, Williams has an 88.2 passer rating. It’s not just the eye test. The numbers late in games have been very good, and he also was clutch late in the season finale at Lambeau Field a year ago. Who knows? Maybe that will carry over into Sunday’s trip to Green Bay.
At what point should we start to panic about Caleb Williams? I’m in the concerned camp and close to panicking. His accuracy has been atrocious this year and it was bad last year too. He’s not improving in that regard. — @cmoltisantis
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams warms up before a game against the Steelers on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
That’s probably a personal choice. Williams’ accuracy has not been good. I wouldn’t call it atrocious. That would be a level that gets quarterbacks benched right away, and he’s not there at all. But Williams’ accuracy is well below the mark the Bears are seeking, and that’s one area where we really haven’t seen growth as the season has played out.
Williams clearly has improved in other facets of his game, and Ben Johnson tried to highlight some of that Tuesday when he talked about what his quarterback did do right in the victory in Philadelphia. Johnson felt his initial comments a day earlier about Williams’ inaccuracy were misconstrued.
“We’re winning in spite of our passing game, not because of it,” Johnson said Monday at the end of a long answer explaining the involvement of receivers and everything else involved in the passing game. “None of us are pleased with that right now.”
On Tuesday, Johnson clarified he wasn’t singling out Williams.
“When I made that comment (Monday), it’s easy to construe it as I’m not happy with the quarterback,” he said. “That’s not the case whatsoever. He continues to get better each and every week, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how he played last week. I know what the stats say. Throw those out of the window.
“He’s doing a really good job managing the ballgame. That’s step No. 1 for the quarterback. And he’s going to continue to get better. The process is really good right now with how he approaches the week, the way he’s taken the coaching, the way he’s applying the coaching. I’m very pleased with that. I think we’re going to continue to see him ascend, whether the stats tell the story or not.”
Eventually the stats have to come if the Bears want Williams to emerge as a franchise quarterback. Winning is the best statistic for quarterbacks, and he has done that through nine games this season and delivered in crunch time, as discussed in the previous question. The hope is his accuracy will take a jump in the future.
A lot of coaches will tell you it is difficult for quarterbacks to become substantially more accurate at the NFL level. Josh Allen in 2018 and 2019 stands as the poster boy for quarterbacks who were inaccurate at the start of their career before becoming elite. Allen completed only 52.8% of his passes as a rookie and was marginally better the next year at 58.8%. Since, he has completed 65.7% and is at 69.4% this season, which would be a career best.
Since 2016, 25 quarterbacks have had 300 or more pass attempts in a season and finished with a completion percentage below 60%. The list includes the rookie seasons for eight quarterbacks: Allen, Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, DeShone Kizer and Mitch Trubisky.
Others on the list include Carson Wentz, Drew Lock, Baker Mayfield, Andy Dalton, Cam Newton, Jacoby Brissett, Trevor Siemian, Blake Bortles, Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brock Osweiler. Like Allen, some appeared on the list more than once. There are a couple of really good quarterbacks here and a some who are easy to forget.
Maybe Williams, currently at 58.1%, will pick up the pace with five games remaining. If he gets on a heater, he could reach 60% before the season ends. He’s currently 230 of 396, averaging 33 attempts per game. At that same rate of attempts, to reach the 60% threshold he would need to go 107 of 165 (64.8%) over the final five games.
This is something to keep an eye on, no question. There’s reason to have a lot of faith in Johnson to bring out the best in Williams. I’d imagine it will be a storyline entering the 2026 season. For now, a good deal of football — nearly 30% of the regular season — remains to be played.
If Ozzy Trapilo stays healthy and Theo Benedet finishes the year as the swing tackle, what do you think happens this offseason for Benedet? Playable left tackles aren’t easy to come by in the NFL. — @michael16824439
Bears offensive lineman Theo Benedet sets up to block against the Saints on Oct. 19, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
What happens? Benedet works his tail off and returns in the spring, set on competing for an opportunity to play. I don’t see any chance the Bears consider moving on from Benedet or offering him up in a trade, even if they decide to pursue a left tackle at the top of the draft or by some other means.
General manager Ryan Poles knows how difficult it is to build quality depth on the offensive line. He lived it through his first three seasons on the job. Benedet is young and cheap and, like Trapilo, the Bears believe he’s just getting better.
Left tackle will be a question at the end of the season. Trapilo very well could be in the picture. Benedet could be in the picture. The Bears could be in the market for a left tackle. There’s simply too much football remaining to be played to make any kind of conclusive statement. But quality players who are healthy, young and cheap aren’t going anywhere.
I love Jaquan Brisker but is it fair to say he’s having a quiet year even after being out much of 2024? Is it a product of the defense changing with Dennis Allen or something else? How does Kevin Byard’s play, the addition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, etc., affect chances of an extension given all the safeties are free agents? — @balakay
Brisker is third on the defense with 62 tackles, two behind Byard. He has one sack, one interception, one tackle for a loss, three quarterback hits and five pass breakups, including the one to end the victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 23 at Soldier Field. Brisker has had a few high-profile plays like that this season, but he certainly hasn’t made splash plays like Byard, who is in more of a position to do so playing from the post more often.
It sure looks like Byard has earned a contract extension based on his production, which is first and foremost, and the intangibles he brings to the locker room. Generally teams shy away from paying big money to two safeties. That’s not always the case, but it’s a position where teams will look to save a little money. If the Bears reward Byard with a new contract, I think it’s likelier they would look to pair him with a draft pick or another cheaper option. Looking ahead, it would make sense to get a good, young safety in the pipeline again.
Brisker’s concussion history — one in each of his first three seasons — will work against him as a free agent. Fortunately he has been healthy this season, but he missed 12 games in 2024 and that’s a bit of a red flag. Maybe the Bears value Brisker and will consider bringing him back at their price, but they’ll have to determine how they want to allocate their resources and then get a feel for what’s available in free agency and the draft.
I don’t know that Gardner-Johnson is a factor in any decision regarding Brisker, unless the Bears explore the idea of moving him to safety next season, a position he has played for other teams. Gardner-Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent.
How are the linebackers looking this week? Any returning players? — @overrisettv
Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards tackles Saints running back Alvin Kamara on Oct. 19, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
T.J. Edwards was spotted on the practice field Tuesday for the first time since the Nov. 2 win in Cincinnati. Noah Sewell, who missed the last two games with a left elbow injury, also was participating in the portion that was open to media. In the first injury report of the week Wednesday, the Bears listed Sewell as a full participant, Edwards (hand/hamstring) as limited and Ruben Hyppolite II (shoulder) as did not participate. It was an estimated report as the team did not practice.
How it shakes out Sunday in Green Bay likely will be tied to how those players look in practice Thursday and Friday.
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“We feel really good about the two guys that have been filling in in the meantime,” Ben Johnson said. “Both Amen (Ogbongbemiga) and D-Jack (D’Marco Jackson) have played really good ball for us, so we’ll see who’s up and who looks good here this week.”
Given the amount of time Edwards has missed, is it possible he’s somewhat limited in Sunday’s game? If Edwards slots into the middle linebacker position, I wonder if the coaches would use Jackson on the weak side over Sewell given how he has played recently. The coaching staff has been willing to adapt and adjust on the fly. It’s something to keep an eye on.
With both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai running so well, I’m wondering if Ben Johnson would put them in the backfield at the same time. Did he do it at all in Detroit? I would think it wouldn’t let the defense key on either one and could really create some interesting misdirection. — Dave K., Albuquerque, N.M.
If the Bears do something like that, it would be an extremely limited package. I imagine Johnson believes he can create more conflict for the opponent with wide receivers and tight ends in different formations and, of course, with motions and shifts before the snap. That’s something the Bears did a really nice job of Friday in Philadelphia, creating just a split-second of hesitation for the Eagles on a lot of running plays.
“We had a lot of moving parts in that game to create some eye candy for those defensive players,” Johnson said.
On the rare occasions the Bears want an extra body in the backfield, they’re more likely to line up a tight end as a blocking back.
Be honest. Did you have the Bears at 9-3 on your bingo card at the start of the season? — @mred315
Not even my buddy Chuck, who has kept his glass half-full in the bleakest of times over the last two decades (against advice shared with him at certain times), had the Bears starting 9-3 on his bingo card.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/chicago-bears-mailbag-ben-johnson-caleb-williams/
