Caleb Williams Wants Bears to Play More Complete Football

Quarterback aims to improve early-game consistency after leading historic comebacks in 2025 season.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is reflecting on his team's successful 2025 season, which saw them go from worst to first in the NFC North and earn a playoff berth. However, Williams acknowledges the team's struggles in the first half of games and wants to focus on playing more competitive football throughout all four quarters next season.

Why it matters

The Bears' ability to mount dramatic fourth-quarter comebacks made them an exciting team to watch, but also highlighted their inconsistency. As they look to build on last year's success and make a deeper playoff run, improving their early-game performance will be crucial.

The details

Despite the Bears' 11-6 record and division title, their offense often struggled in the first half before Caleb Williams led them to historic comebacks. The team set an NFL record with seven fourth-quarter comebacks in the regular season and playoffs. Williams is determined to have the Bears start games stronger and maintain their high level of play throughout, rather than relying on late-game heroics.

  • The Bears went from 5-12 in 2024 to 11-6 and NFC North champions in 2025.
  • The Bears earned their first playoff win in 15 years with a wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers.
  • The Bears' season ended with a divisional playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The players

Caleb Williams

The Chicago Bears' starting quarterback, who led the team to a division title and playoff berth in his second NFL season.

Ben Johnson

The Bears' offensive coordinator, who worked with Williams in his first year as the team's play-caller.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“You get into these games, you win a bunch of games, you get into these playoff games and you're winning. You play these good teams and you see what you have to go against. You see what championship level is, you see what you need to do to be at the position that you want to be at the end of the year. You see what you have to do, you figure it out. When you get knocked down, you get back up and that's what we're going to do. That's my mindset. We never stay down as a team. I think we've shown that this year, we never stay down. We keep fighting. Bringing that mentality into next year and then finding ways to bring that hunger for all four quarters in every single game is going to be important and something that we'll focus on throughout the offseason and throughout next year.”

— Caleb Williams (Bears Wire)

What’s next

The Bears will look to build on their 2025 success and make a deeper playoff run in 2026, with a focus on starting games stronger and maintaining their high level of play throughout.

The takeaway

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears proved they have the resilience and talent to mount historic comebacks, but now they must find a way to play more complete, consistent football from start to finish in order to take the next step and compete for a Super Bowl championship.