Sports
Bears Football Resumes This Sunday. James ‘Big Cat’ Williams on What to Watch For
The Chicago Bears will play their first game of the 2026-2027 NFL season this Sunday against the Panthers in Charlotte.
The game marks the beginning of head coach Ben Johnson’s sophomore campaign after he led the Bears to an 11-6 record last season.
It was the Bears’ best showing in years. The team finished atop the NFC North for the first time since 2018 and came just two wins short of a Super Bowl appearance.
Now, in a change welcomed by Chicagoans, the Bears are looking to exceed the high expectations set by pundits and oddsmakers based on last season’s surprise performance.
James “Big Cat” Williams, a former Bears offensive lineman, joined “Chicago Tonight” to preview the Bears’ season. Here are some key takeaways.
Caleb Williams Needs to Continue Upward Trajectory
Caleb Williams is far and away the biggest name on the Bears’ depth chart, and all eyes are on him to improve on an impressive campaign last season, which saw him throw for just under 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. If he eclipses 4,000 yards this season, he’d be the first quarterback in Bears history to do so.
More impressive than the stats was Caleb Williams’ calm-under-pressure demeanor, earning him the nickname “Iceman.” The new Madden cover athlete led the Bears to seven wins last season after trailing with two minutes or less to go in the fourth quarter.
“We’re looking for him to make a jump,” James Williams said. “Having Ben Johnson in his corner is a good predictor of what he should be. Coach Johnson always talks about how he wants him to have a 60% completion rate, and that will propel the offense forward. Well, this is the year to see it done.”
Caleb Williams completed just under 60% of his passes last season, at 58.1%. If he emerges as a more consistent passer this season, he could thrust himself into the NFL MVP conversation and make the Bears a favorite for the Lombardi.
Bears Must Trade Comebacks for Blowouts
Despite the glitz and glamor of the Bears’ late-game heroics last season, their close wins could have just as easily been losses. Six of their wins came by one score (eight points or fewer). If those games had gone the other way, the Bears would have finished 5-11 — good for last in the NFC North.
“You look at the way the team won last year,” James Williams said. “As far as the one-score games they won. The last-minute wins that they had. It’s not something that I think you can sustain over the years.”
In a bold statement last month, Johnson indicated he’s not satisfied being the comeback kids.
“I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos,” Johnson said. “I know how many points per game they scored (37.9), and I want to surpass them. I want shutouts. I want blowouts.”
If the Bears want to compete in a stacked NFC, they will need to win more games by leading from the outset.
“I don’t think it was his (Johnson’s) intention to not get out in front last season, but they just weren’t able to do it,” James Williams said. “I think they’re going to make a concerted effort to get it done this year.”
The Defense Just Needs to Keep Up
While the Bears offense is poised for a great year, there’s room for improvement on the defensive side.
The unit generated 33 turnovers last season, many of which allowed the offense to give the Bears a chance late in games.
But the Bears’ front seven struggled mightily last season, allowing 134.5 rushing yards per game — the sixth-most in the NFL.
“You have to look at personnel first,” James Williams said. “They have sounded very confident in the people that they have on the defensive line right now as a collective. I don’t think there’s anyone in there that they’re saying stands out, but they’re saying as a group they can play well.”
If the Bears offense puts up big point totals, the defense can expect to be on the field for longer periods.
“If you have an offense that’s trying to put this many points up, you’re going to need a defense to roll along with them for a while,” James Williams said. “If the defense can play up to par, get a few turnovers, play a little better on that line than they did last year, then who knows.”
