'Locked in' Caleb Williams bounces back from recent struggles in Bears' win over Bills

Following Chicago's 38-0 win over Buffalo, first-year Bears head coach Ben Johnson offered high praise for his QB1. 

"He's really been locked in," Johnson said about Williams, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN. "Anytime you're a young player, there's usually a couple of steps forward and one step back. And that's really been the story of this training camp. He and I have been really open and honest about it as we've gone through. And he's had some really good practices, and he's had a couple where, it's not good enough. I thought really the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he's stacked up good days in a row right now. The challenge is going to be keep pushing that direction."

It was said ahead of this past weekend that the Bears' offense had endured "an 'up-and-down' day pretty much every practice as it tries to figure out everything from the lengthy play calls to the rhythm of the game" while learning Johnson's offense. Williams and other starters sat out Chicago's preseason opener versus the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 10, and the perception leading up to Chicago's matchup against Buffalo was that Williams needed additional reps against an opposing defense. 

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted that Williams completed 6-of-10 passes for 107 yards with a touchdown, no turnovers and no sacks on Sunday night. That last stat is noteworthy considering Williams took a league-high 68 sacks as a rookie last season. 

"To a month ago, I think I've grown a lot," Williams said following Sunday's victory. "Now, my mindset is to keep growing. It's been my mindset since I've been a little child, to keep growing. Where I see myself, I think the idea is to be able to handle every single thing that I can and everything that Ben says I should be able to handle. If that's handling everything at the line, handling everything, and taking things off of other people's plates, that's what it is. Being able to do that consistently over the next couple of years is important for me."

Williams will attempt to build upon what he achieved against the Bills leading up to Chicago's preseason finale at the Kansas City Chiefs this coming Friday night. It was unclear as of Monday morning if Williams will play against the Chiefs as he prepares to face the Minnesota Vikings in Chicago's Week 1 "Monday Night Football" showdown on Sept. 8.