The Chicago Bears’ passing offense has looked much better with quarterback Caleb Williams back inaction. The Bears went 2-1 without Williams, who was dealing with a hamstring injury, but they've been 3-0 since his return.
Williams had back-to-back 300-yard passing games against the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots, and in Monday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, he became the first quarterback this season to put up at least 200 passing yards against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Overall, head coach Ben Johnson has been pleased with the passing game, not just with the operation, but also with who is getting the ball.
“Our passing game in general has been a little bit cleaner,” Johnson said. “These guys are doing a great job
just with the details and where they’re supposed to be. Caleb’s completing the ball at a high rate right now and distributing it to really all these guys. We kind of had some lulls there early in the season of who’s getting the ball, when they’re getting the ball, and the last few games it feels like it’s getting distributed to everybody at a cleaner rate.”
For a few weeks into the season, Kalif Raymond was Chicago’s leading receiver because their other stars, including Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland, were not getting as many targets. However, that has changed since Williams’ return.
Loveland has 28 targets in the past three games and has recorded at least 65 receiving yards in each of those games. Burden is Chicago’s receiving king right now with the most targets (56), receptions (42), receiving yards (547) and receiving touchdowns (three) of anyone on the team. With an average of 78.1 receiving yards per game this season, Burden is on track to have one of the best seasons in Bears’ history. Odunze has also gotten more targets, especially in key moments of the past three games.
The Bears will face a challenge against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. Despite their 3-5 record, Tampa Bay has one of the best pass defenses in the country. However, Chicago knows how to attack talented defenses; they proved that against the Seahawks.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson sounds off on Bears' improved passing game
