How Bears QB Caleb Williams channeled his frustration into a fourth-quarter comeback

Bears coach Ben Johnson had no issue with quarterback Caleb Williams screaming at teammates out of frustration in the first half of Saturday’s playoff win.

There was plenty to be frustrated about.

“You’ve got to be authentic to yourself when it comes to the game,” Johnson said Monday at Halas Hall. “We all want to do well, we all want to have success, we want our teammates to do well. So, that’s a part of it.

“And yet there’s an accountability factor that goes into it as well. When I turn on the tape and I see a few things, particularly in our passing game, that weren't the way we had talked about over the course of the week, sometimes you do need to get a little bit fired up just to make sure the point gets across and that we play better going forward.”

Five plays into the second quarter, the Bears went for it on fourth-and-six from the Packers’ 40. Williams threw the ball directly into the arms of Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine because receiver Luther Burden, who had to shift before the snap because he lined up in the incorrect spot, ran the wrong route.

The interception wasn’t crushing — the Packers started with the ball at their own 13 — but it showed a lack of focus by the receiver.

“Us just not doing our job, us not focusing on the details — those types of things that in these games, you can't have,” Williams said Saturday night. “And so that was the frustrating part. That's where my frustration and some of the early in the game kind of me being vocal was coming from, some of the anger and things like that.

“It wasn't guys out there not giving effort. Just guys not being … where they need to be at the right time.”

In his second season, Williams' leadership shone through. He gathered his teammates again after the Bears scored a touchdown — and two-point conversion — to close within three points with 4:18 to play. He told his receivers where he wanted them to be next time the Bears got the ball.

“Obviously, use the frustration,” Williams said. “Communicating with the guys through the frustration, so when the moment comes up, we hit and we show up in those moments so we can go win the game.”

The Bears won’t win the next one — Sunday against the Rams — if they start out as slowly on offense as they have lately. After being shut out by the Lions through the first three quarters, the Bears were held to three points through three quarters Saturday night before improbably rallying for 25 points.

The Bears tried to jump-start the offense by taking the ball after winning the coin toss, something that’s happened only four of 10 times this year, before having to settle for a field goal.

Amazingly, it was their first opening drive score since Nov. 2.

Johnson continues to suspect that Williams shines late in games because the Bears are forced to pass on most downs and he can get into his throwing rhythm faster. However, the pre-snap motions the Bears use when they aren’t playing up-tempo make it easier for them to run the ball well.

“It’s a balancing act as a play-caller,” Johnson said, “because I do feel strongly about our running game.”

He’ll search for balance this week as the Bears prepare to face the Rams, who allow an average of 3.9 points in the first quarter, tied for ninth-fewest in the NFL.

“We all want to start faster,” Johnson said. “I know that's been a theme here over the last two months of the season, it feels like. But we're going to go back to work here and it's something we address, it's something we correct and it's something we look to get better from.”