Bears' Ben Johnson doesn't hold back on Caleb Williams' mistakes in loss to Vikings

Second-year quarterback Caleb Williams played like a work in progress under first-year head coach Ben Johnson as the Chicago Bears suffered a 27-24 loss to the rival Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. 

During his media availability on Tuesday, Johnson spoke honestly about Williams' performance in the defeat. 

Ben Johnson makes a big admission about Caleb Williams' play

"It was up and down," Johnson said about Williams' play against Minnesota. "We had mixed results. There were some things he did that were top-notch, and I would put him up there with some of the best in the NFL. He had a couple throws with guys in his face that he delivered on target that were very tough. ...And yet there were still some that we would like to have back. There were probably three or four of them that we counted on tape, at a minimum, that we would want back." 

Specifically, ESPN's Courtney Cronin noted that Williams missed a wide-open D.J. Moore on a 4th-and-3 play at Minnesota's 24-yard line midway through the second quarter. Andy Nesbitt of Sports Illustrated pointed out that Williams later overthrew a ball intended for an open Moore when Chicago should've scored a touchdown with roughly 2:30 remaining in regulation.

According to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, Williams completed 13-of-16 passes in the game's opening half. However, the 23-year-old then connected on just eight of his final 19 pass attempts of the contest.

"We chatted for a while, and he’s very self-reflective on it and critical of himself," Johnson said about a conversation he had with Williams after reviewing the game film. "It’s a starting point for us, so we’ll look to get better next week."

Of course, Williams isn't responsible for the fact that Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy tallied two touchdown passes and a 14-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter of Chicago's collapse. Nevertheless, Johnson suggested everybody involved will need to be better when the Bears play at the 0-1 Detroit Lions this coming Sunday. 

What wasn't an issue for the Chicago Bears against the Minnesota Vikings?

"Some good football on tape, but too much inconsistent football that popped up," Johnson added during his comments. "Effort wasn’t an issue. Those guys did a good job playing hard and competed the whole night, but the execution has got to improve, particularly there in the fourth quarter."

As of Wednesday morning, ESPN BET had the Bears as 5.5-point underdogs for the matchup versus the Lions.