Bears mailbag: Caleb Williams’ deep-passing accuracy? Jaylon Johnson’s timetable? – The Athletic

There is no team that Aaron Rodgers has beaten down more than the Chicago Bears, both physically and mentally.

He’s the ultimate Chicago sports villain. He went 24-5 against the Bears. He threw 64 touchdowns and 10 picks in those games, posting a passer rating of 109.0.

The Bears led the all-time series 89-79-6 before Rodgers took over as Green Bay’s starter in 2008. The Packers now hold a 12-game edge.

If he plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday — Rodgers has a left wrist injury — it’ll probably be his last game at Soldier Field.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Aaron Rodgers,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “He’s done this at a high level for an incredible amount of time, and if he’s ready to go this week, I would love nothing more than to compete against him.”

Said Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who has admired Rodgers from afar, “I think there are probably a couple quarterbacks in the world that have been able to spin the ball the way that he does. Growing up as a kid, when you find and realize how hard it is to play this position, you admire some of the things he’s been able to do over this long career he’s had.”

Facing Rodgers in a suddenly pivotal matchup would add quite a chapter to the history between player and opponent.

Now, on to your questions.

Caleb Williams has an aversion to turnovers, which is good; however, do you think it’s limiting his deep throw abilities? A lot of fans have mentioned his inaccuracy on deep balls, but is he missing (sort of) on purpose to avoid contested balls and interceptions? Is he being too careful by overextending the reach of our guys just so the defense has a near-zero chance of pickoffs? — V W.

Williams has thrown 50 passes that have traveled at least 20 yards in the air, the second-highest total in the league. He has completed 16 of them. That 32 percent rate ranks 25th. He was 1-for-4 on those passes in Minnesota, including a pair of third-down misses in the first quarter to wideouts Rome Odunze and DJ Moore — Johnson said the miss to Moore is one that Williams “would like back.”

“I just have to give DJ a shot,” Williams said. “I let it go kind of early, understanding that somebody was starting to run free. Just staying in there. If I take a hit, I take a hit. Just deliver DJ a good ball.”

Those passes are naturally low-percentage. Neither Johnson nor Williams likes the idea of “50-50 balls.”

“That’s never been my thing,” Williams said. “You don’t want to give the defenders or anybody that type of percentage.”

Said Johnson, “I’m not a big guy on 50-50 balls. … You can look at my track record of calling games.”

But these aren’t 50-50 balls, per se. They’re not dialing up fade patterns to big receivers on the sideline. Still, Williams can put the ball in a better spot for his receivers.

While Williams is going to work to avoid interceptions, his misses on deep balls seem to be more about a little thing here or there that is hindering the throw, like he alluded to with the incomplete pass to Moore.

“We understand the percentages are going to go down when the ball is thrown downfield, but there’s a lot more nuance to it than just throwing to a spot,” passing game coordinator Press Taylor said. “We tend to have landmarks, be it landmarks on the field as well as depths down the field that we’re trying to throw those balls to. They’re pretty thought out, and those are the reps we’re getting in practice as opposed to, we’re just going to drop back, throw it up and see what happens.”

What’s your assessment of Theo Benedet? He seems to be an upgrade from Braxton Jones, who was serviceable, and he’s kept Ozzy Trapilo on the bench. Has he silenced the calls for more help on the OL? — John R.

In the summer, I joined Robert Mays on “The Athletic NFL Show” and we talked about the left tackle spot and how whoever won that job would be the fifth-best player on the line. The goal? Don’t be a liability.

That’s a reminder of where to set expectations for this season. Benedet has been a remarkable story. It would’ve been easy for this coaching staff to cast him aside, too. He doesn’t have to play like a Pro Bowler, but he can keep improving — and this will be a big game for him Sunday against Pittsburgh’s edge rush.

“In the long term, he’s got to get stronger, his bounce has got to improve, he’s got to get more violent with his hands,” offensive line coach Dan Roushar said. “All the things that we’re working on. I think the other thing is just being able to get him into a posture position with his hips down and a good base.

“Those things are getting better, just not at the rate he’d like it to be or we’d like it to be yet. And yet, you’ve got to keep in mind that here’s really a first-year player that’s now playing a lot of football for us and so there are encouraging signs and we know it’s going to keep getting better.”

It’s a valuable perspective. Benedet has been solid and has plenty of work to do. We’ll see what Johnson and Ryan Poles’ evaluation is in 2026, but I don’t see Benedet relinquishing the job this season. Analytically speaking, Pro Football Focus has Benedet leading the team with 22 pressures allowed. However, ESPN ranks him as the fourth-best tackle in the league in run-block win rate. He’s been a big reason for the improved rushing attack, and that’s not something the Bears want to mess with right now.

What’s the realistic return timeline for Jaylon Johnson, and if he’s playing, how does that change Dennis Allen’s ability to pressure the opposing QB more creatively/efficiently/often than the D-line has been able to thus far? — Paul V.

The Bears did use the entire 21-day practice window for defensive end Austin Booker and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga. After missing so much time and undergoing surgery, it’s hard to imagine Johnson wouldn’t need the full three weeks, too, which would put him in line to return for Week 14 in Green Bay.

Then again, he practiced in full on Thursday, and we didn’t think he’d practice this soon, so why doubt Johnson now? It’s still possible that Johnson needs multiple weeks of “full” practices, as opposed to a player who has a minor injury and might need only one.

When Johnson does return, it gives Allen some flexibility. He’ll be able to lock down and travel with an opponent’s top receiver.

“What you see on tape is you see a highly intelligent and instinctive football player,” Allen said in April. “So whether you’re playing up in press, whether you’re playing off, whether you’re playing man, whether you’re playing zone, I think you can just tell when a guy’s a good football player.”

With the Bears opening up Kyler Gordon’s 21-day window, what does his return look like? What have you heard and when can we expect him to come back? When he does come back, what does that mean for CJGJ? Who gets moved? Does Kyler return to nickel, does CJGJ go to safety? — JV

Gordon returned to practice on Wednesday. Calf injuries, like other soft-tissue situations, can be a little tricky. The Bears don’t need to rush him back because of the way C.J. Gardner-Johnson is playing, but it does create a good problem to have.

“I think C.J. is definitely a playmaker,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy we’re going to want on the field. When we feel good about Kyler being ready, we’ll make sure we have a good plan in place in terms of how we set that up.”

When an opponent is in third-and-long, Allen often uses a dime defense with a third safety (Elijah Hicks or Jonathan Owens). That could be where we see Gardner-Johnson … or Gordon.

“We’ll figure that out,” Allen said. “Give us as many good football players as you can give us. That’s our job — to figure out how to get ’em on the field and put ’em in positions to make plays. We’ve always been excited about being able to do that and work with those guys.”

Will Aaron Rodgers play on Sunday? You know he’ll do everything he can to be on the field against the Bears. (Justin Berl / Getty Images)

Bears-Steelers fun facts

• The Bears lead the all-time series 19-8-1, including a 12-1 record at home.

• Their last home loss to Pittsburgh came on Nov. 5, 1995, a 37-34 overtime defeat.

• The Steelers’ previous trip to Chicago was Sept. 24, 2017, a 23-17 Bears overtime win. Jordan Howard’s 19-yard touchdown run won it. It was Mike Glennon’s only win as Bears quarterback.

• In the first game with Soldier Field as their permanent home in 1971, the Bears beat the Steelers 17-15.

• Mike Tomlin is 1-3 against the Bears. His only win came in the most recent meeting, 29-27 in Pittsburgh.

Game picks: Bears (-2.5) vs. Steelers, noon CT on CBS

Kevin Fishbain: Bears 26, Steelers 25

(7-3 straight up, 5-5 against the spread)

Since I joined the beat in 2013, Rodgers is 16-2 against the Bears in games he started and finished. I’ve generally gone by the adage of never picking against him. Without knowing his status as of press time — and even if he goes, will he be 100 percent? — the door is open to take a chance on yet another 2025 last-second Bears win.

Dan Wiederer: Steelers 24, Bears 20

(7-3, 6-4)

The Steelers aren’t going to beat themselves and are feisty enough to give the Bears their toughest test in weeks. Presuming Rodgers plays, the Bears figure to have their hands full, particularly with a beat-up linebacking corps. Williams’ track record of protecting the football is a plus against a Pittsburgh defense that has nine interceptions and has forced 14 fumbles (with nine recovered). But the Bears’ close-game wizardry can’t work every time.

Dan Pompei: Steelers 23, Bears 21

(8-2, 8-2)

If Rodgers plays, it’s a different game. Granted, he isn’t the same Aaron Rodgers he used to be, but his record against the Bears can’t be ignored. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers’ pass defense is an invitation to throw, but the Bears should proceed cautiously because they can get after the quarterback (third in the NFL in sacks) and take the ball away (eighth in interceptions). If the Steelers defense comes up with some momentum-changing plays and Rodgers does his thing, the Steelers should win.

Jon Greenberg: Steelers 26, Bears 24

(7-3, 5-5)

Earlier this week, I predicted a Bears victory in print, but the more I think about it, this feels like the kind of game the Steelers steal. Of course, there’s no recent precedent here, as the Steelers have only won one game in Chicago. Ever. And frankly, if Rodgers, who has won more games at Soldier Field than some Bears QBs, suits up, I’d bet against Pittsburgh. (Fun fact: Bears coach Antwaan Randle El has as many Super Bowl touchdown passes as Jim McMahon and Rex Grossman combined with one.) But I kind of like the Steelers to muscle their way to a win. If you need me during the game, I’ll be in the stands with my son as he whips a Terrible Towel against my face.

Mike DeFabo (Steelers beat writer): Steelers 27, Bears 24

The Bears might be the better team, but the Steelers should be more desperate with their lead in the AFC North narrowing. Given Rodgers’ history at Soldier Field and the Bears’ struggles defending the run, I’ll pick Pittsburgh in a coin-flip game.