Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson faced his former team, the Detroit Lions, in Week 2. The 52-21 loss fell far short of what the coach had expected. The next turn was for the quarterback, Caleb Williams, to face his former coach, Matt Eberflus, who is now the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys. Chicago defeated the Cowboys 31-14. However, older relationships seemed to be the least concern for the player.

“I don’t think it really necessarily matters who when you’re able to have a game as effective as we were able to have on offense,” Williams said after the game. “It feels great, to be honest, whether it was Matt or it was any other defensive coordinator, Flo or anybody else that we played, or anybody else that we’re going to play. When you’re able to go out and score a bunch of points on offense, it’s fun, obviously because you put in so much hard work, and you want to be able to go out there and execute the plays that are called, and that’s what happened today,” he explained, talking about the offense’s hard work.

Williams must have known the question coming his way, given his history with the coach. DC Eberflus was the one who chose him. He was drafted as the first overall pick in the 2024 draft class. The coach worked alongside the QB for his development. While the two were expected to turn things around for the team, it didn’t happen. And after Williams’ rough rookie year, the coach was fired.

Chicago’s offense generated 385 total yards with several explosive plays, creating a difficult homecoming for Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. The performance marked Eberflus’s first return to Soldier Field since the Bears dismissed him as head coach.

The offensive outburst highlighted the contrast between Chicago’s current production and their struggles under Eberflus’s leadership, making for an uncomfortable reunion between the coordinator and his former team.

Looking back, the QB admitted that while the two couldn’t win as much as they had expected, he remains grateful to the team as well as his former coach for having faith in him. “He made that decision, and obviously everybody else (in the front office) was in here and being able to make that decision, making me a Chicago Bear,” Williams said when asked about his former coach before the game.

Moreover, there is a good reason for the QB to be more focused on his game. He threw 298 yards and four touchdowns against the Cowboys. And the Bears’ offense truly shone, nearly hitting 400 yards and scoring 31 points in a balanced attack that saw nine players contribute with carries or receptions. Wide receivers Rome Odunze, Luther Burden also made an impact. Both wide receiver DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet had receiving touchdowns. Williams wasn’t sacked throughout the game with only one hit. That explains Williams’ words for the offense.

And the QB made sure to give the credit to their coach, who used tough love to motivate the team after two disappointing losses.

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After the win, coach Johnson gave the game ball to Williams. The QB made the most wholesome gesture as he handed him the game ball back for his contribution in leading the team to a win.

When asked about the reason behind his gesture, Williams explained, “To be able to have that moment for him and us is really important. It’s important for us as a team, an organization, to be able to keep building this momentum and have this growth that we want to go on and this run we want to go on.”

The excitement in the locker room was palpable after the days of pressure and disappointment. After the loss to the Lions, coach Johnson even shared a few strong words for the locker room and added that the team was not practicing like a “championship-caliber” team.

This motivated the players, who responded with a 2-hour 15-minute practice in the heat of Chicago. Williams and the squad were locked in. They will look to create the same magic when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on September 28.