Ben Johnson Puts Caleb Williams on Blast After Ugly Loss to Ravens
The 2025 season is almost halfway in the books, and while it’s far too early to make determinations about what kind of quarterback Caleb Williams is, it’s absolutely fair to start asking questions — especially after his ugly Week 8 showing against the Baltimore Ravens.
In the Bears‘ 30-16 loss to the Ravens, Williams finished 25-of-38 for 285 yards and an interception. It was his second straight game without a touchdown pass.
But Williams had two intentional-grounding penalties that also stood out. One occurred at the end of the first half, and it forced a rushed — and missed — 58-yard field-goal attempt from Cairo Santos.
The other stalled a promising drive later in the game. Overall, Chicago was flagged 11 times for 79 yards, but it was Williams’ intentional grounding flags that had head coach Ben Johnson peeved after the game.
Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson Calls Out QB Caleb Williams for Intentional Grounding Penalties vs. Ravens
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears called out QB Caleb Williams for his intentional grounding penalties vs. the Ravens.
When he was asked about his team’s closing series to end the first half, the Bears coach was candid, mentioning Williams’ grounding flags multiple times.
“I thought we had a chance there for points before half. We had a good opportunity to do that,” Johnson said after the game.
“The intentional grounding certainly didn’t help. So now, we were in a position [where it was] third-and-long with no timeouts, where we know if it is a clock running, and we are short of the line of gain, that we will need to get our hurricane unit out there, our field goal team out there, really quick. I thought the execution of all that was nice, but that is a really long field goal. It’s a low percentage deal. [It’s] something that we would like to avoid. That intentional grounding certainly hurt us.”
Johnson was also asked about the interception Caleb threw. “I didn’t quite see it,” he replied. “I will have to check it out on film just one more time. In my mind, there might have been another option that we could have gotten to.”
A Look at Williams vs. the Other QBs in His Draft Class
Through Week 8, Williams has thrown for 1,636 passing yards, nine touchdowns fou interceptions and a 52.9 QBR.
When you compare his stats to those of his 2024 draft classmates,it’s not looking great:
- Drake Maye (Patriots): 2,026 yards, 15 TDs, 3 INTs, 76.2 QBR
- Bo Nix (Broncos): 1,803 yards, 15 TDs, 5 INTs, 58.7 QBR
- Jayden Daniels (Commanders): 1,031 yards, 8 TDs, 1 INT, 50.9 QBR
- Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons): 1,409 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs, 49.1 QBR
Placed alongside them, Williams is somewhere in the middle — not lagging far behind Penix or Daniels, but a step below Maye and Nix in overall command and control.
Williams has shown some definite growth this year — he’s taking far less sacks and has generally played well on third down and late in the fourth quarter — but it just doesn’t look as though he’s seeing the field yet, and — stop me if you’ve heard this one before, Bears fans — he’s having trouble reading defenses.
What Williams Had to Say After the Game
For his part, Williams explained his perspective on his first intentional grounding call before the half.
“The intentional grounding, we just weren’t on the same page with [Colston] Loveland,”
Williams said.
“I was throwing him breaking out. It was a choice route. This isn’t anything about Loveland; we just weren’t on the same page. It’s a choice route. He has a couple different options to break, break in, sit or break out, and we just weren’t on the same page. That comes with reps, so I think that’s what it comes down to. I could have gotten out of bounds also, [if] we want to talk about managing things like that; that’s part of it.”
Perhaps the execution will come. There’s a lot of football left to be played this season. But if Williams continues to make these same mistakes further down the road, it’s not going to be pretty in the Windy City.
Eagles Address Blockbuster Trade Rumors; Insider Says AFC East Swap in Play
The trade of Dallas Cowboys superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last month may have had some lingering effects on the NFL’s psyche … because it showed pretty much anybody can be dealt.
That’s why it should come as no surprise Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown became a buzzy name in trade rumors after a Week 1 win over the Cowboys in which he had just 1 reception for 8 yards on 1 target.
It’s no secret Brown doesn’t respond well to not getting the ball in bunches, and can be very vocal about it.
The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported on September 13 there were teams calling about Brown long before his disappointing Week 1 performance.
“A.J. Brown received interest from multiple trade suitors this offseason, sources say,” Russini wrote on her official X account. “But teams poking around were told by Eagles GM Howie Roseman flat-out: No dice.”
Setting Price For Brown If Roseman Changes Mind
Smart general managers will know Roseman saying “No” right now or over the summer is not Roseman saying “No” one month from now.
The price for a player like Brown could very well be another team’s WR1 and a 2026 second round pick. While the Eagles would still have wide receiver DeVonta Smith, there chances of repeating as Super Bowl champions might disappear without another elite receiving option.
Brown being still in the prime of his career also helps the Eagles in another way — any team seeking a trade for him does so with the understanding they take on the full financial commitment of the 3-year, $96 million contract extension he signed in April 2024.
“If there’s really a trade for A.J. Brown, the team to look at is the Patriots,” Colin Cowherd said on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd” on September 11. “That could be a reunion with (Patriots) head coach Mike Vrabel, which would make sense.”
Brown Already Part Of One Shocking Trade
Brown played the first 3 years of his career with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2021 and with Vrabel as his head coach. That included consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his career, a Pro Bowl in 2020 and an AFC Championship Game appearance in 2020.
Video of Vrabel’s disgust/shock at finding out the Titans traded Brown to the Eagles on draft day in 2022 is a viral masterpiece — and probably also played a big part in Vrabel getting fired 2 years later.
Prior to the trade, Vrabel had gone out of his way to say as long as he was the coach of the Titans, Brown would be on the team.
“I mean, obviously, as the head coach, you want every player that you think can help you win on the team,” Vrabel said on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast in July 2023. “I certainly had, and still have, a great relationship with A.J. But then sometimes, in the business of professional sports, things go a different direction. And that’s where they went. I’m happy for A.J., and I’m happy for his family, you know. And we got compensated, and we tried last year.”
