The Haymaker Illusion: Why Ben Johnson's Magic Can't Mask Caleb Williams' Inaccuracy

Let's be clear about what we are witnessing in Chicago: it is a coaching miracle.

As Sports Illustrated first reported, Ben Johnson is performing a feat of tactical alchemy that should, by all laws of football physics, be impossible. The Chicago Bears finished the 2025 season as the No. 9 scoring offense and the sixth-most productive unit in terms of yards per game. But look closer at the engine room, and you will find a glaring, systemic failure: Caleb Williams finished the 2025 season with a completion percentage of 58.1.

In any other era, a quarterback completing barely half his passes would be a liability. Yet, Johnson has kept the Bears potent through a singular, obsessive focus on "explosives."

According to Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor, efficiency is not a word that exists in Ben Johnson's vocabulary. Taylor explicitly stated that the coaching staff does not view the run game as a tool to control the clock; instead, they view it as a way to attack defenses and remain explosive.

ESPN analyst Ben Solak echoes this, noting that while most coaches use the run to set up the play-action pass, Johnson has designed a system where both are high-impact strikes. It is a "haymaker sets up the haymaker" philosophy. By prioritizing explosive plays over routine efficiency, Johnson has effectively bypassed the need for a quarterback who can consistently hit his reads. He has built a system that rewards the wild, high-risk throws that Pete Martuneac notes only a few players—most notably Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams—can actually execute.

But you cannot build a sustainable dynasty on haymakers alone. When the explosive plays dry up, you are left with a quarterback who cannot move the chains on third-and-short. To be fair to Williams, the struggle is collective; Martuneac notes that data from Pro Football Reference ranks Bears receivers as having the third-most drops in the NFL last year.

Johnson is aware of the deficiency. According to Sports Illustrated, Johnson challenged Williams last year to hit a 70% completion rate, and the head coach spent OTAs this spring tasking the offense with improving accuracy. While Martuneac suggests 65% is a realistic goal for the 2026 season, that is a far cry from elite efficiency.

Johnson has even set his sights on breaking the 2013 Broncos' NFL scoring record. But chasing a record is not the same as building a sustainable winner. Until Caleb Williams can hit the boring throws—the check-downs and routine reads—the Bears are not a dynasty in the making. They are a high-wire act.