LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Twelve months removed from when Ben Johnson was hired by the Chicago Bears, the 39-year-old head coach is preparing for Saturday's wild card game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.
Johnson's multiple years of postseason experience include being the offensive coordinator of the 2024 Detroit Lions that earned the NFC's 1-seed.
Caleb Williams doesn't boast the same level of playoff knowhow, but the confidence Johnson has in his quarterback to thrive in a high-stakes moment is because of what he's seen from the 24-year-old as of late.
"He's a completely different quarterback than when we first took this job," Johnson said. "I think back to the springtime, during camp at times and some of the struggles that we were having as an offense in those moments, we've certainly moved past that. I'm encouraged for where he's at right now.
"I know he's really looking forward to this opportunity to go out there. He's played some good football here, particularly in the back half of the season for us, and we're going to need that. We're going to need him at his best. We're going to need all of our players at their best. I'm hopeful we're going to get that."
Williams became the Bears' single-season passing leader in Chicago's Week 18 loss to Detroit and finished the 2025 season by throwing for 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 90.1 passer rating.
While he fell short of his goal of being the first Bears quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards, reaching this milestone is among the reason why he shares Johnson's sentiment.
"I feel that I've grown tremendously so far this year and it's exciting to see," Williams said. "That record was more or less the growth that I've had. That's where I've been at, that's where my mindset's been at and then at this moment, it's at an all-time high for myself, of confidence. I'm going to go into the game that way. I'm gonna bring that this week. I'm going to bring energy this week for the guys and bring the urgency, because that's what we need."
Williams sparked the Bears' sixth win this season after trailing in the final 2:00 of the fourth quarter when he threw a 46-yard game-winning touchdown to wide receiver DJ Moore when the Bears beat the Packers 22-16 in overtime on Dec. 20.
Saturday's wild card game will be the third meeting between the NFC rivals this season and just the third time ever that the Bears and Packers have met in the playoffs.
While Johnson has stressed the need for the Bears offense to get off to a faster start, Chicago has been able to lean on Williams' late-game heroics to mount an 11-win season. If the Bears beat Green Bay to advance to the divisional playoffs, Williams will become the first Chicago quarterback to defeat the Packers twice in a season (including the playoffs) since Jim Harbaugh did it in 1991.
"He's played in a lot of big games over the course of his life," Johnson said. "I think he's primed and he's ready to go. He was built for these moments. He plays his best when we need him to, and so, there's really not a whole lot that needs to be said. He just needs to be him."
Williams shares his coach's confidence.
"I think I am built for these moments, mentality-wise, how I've worked," Williams said. "I've been in a bunch of big games before and a bunch of big rival games. And so, in those moments and in these moments, I think I can provide a spark for the team. I think I can do whatever my team needs me to do, whether that's stand in the pocket, whether that's run, whether that's scramble, whether that's, whatever, hand the ball off 30 times and be energetic about it. Whatever it takes is where I'm at, where I'm going to be at for these next couple of weeks hopefully."
