The Packers laid bare all the ways the Bears need Caleb Williams' return

It is admirable, impressive even, that the Bears were able to notch two dominant wins without an injured Caleb Williams over the last few weeks. While Chicago has a laudable collection of offensive talent managed by one of the league’s top offensive minds, head coach Ben Johnson, Williams is the straw that stirs the drink. Over a long enough period of time, everything only works and clicks as well as it does expressly because of his special talent.

We saw a prime example of the clock (perhaps expectedly) running out on the Bears‘ temporary backup quarterback gambit in a decisive 31-7 loss to their archrival, the Green Bay Packers, on Sunday.

One week after feasting on the New York Jets’ undisciplined defense, the Bears’ No. 2 quarterback, Tyson Bagent, looked like a jittery pumpkin. He couldn’t fire passes downfield into tight windows and repeatedly vacated clean throwing pockets. Where the Jets took it easy on Bagent, Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon stacked the box against Chicago’s power running game and pressed the Bears’ receivers all afternoon, essentially daring a weaker-armed Bagent to thread passes that regular starting quarterbacks should be capable of making, but he didn’t because … you know.

The Packers’ defense showed Bagent no respect, and he crumbled under the pressure while looking like most Bears quarterbacks who have ventured into Lambeau Field for the past three decades (well, aside from Williams). Overmatched, out of their wits, and eventually benched for incompetence. What was the NFL’s No. 1 offense coming in managed 246 total yards, a 4-of-14 third-down conversion rate, five turnovers, and the aforementioned measly seven points. And when the offense-centered Bears lost their mojo, a middling defense could not survive the game script being flipped on its head as Jordan Love and Co. drove constant downfield daggers into Chicago’s secondary for most of the afternoon.

The dam on the Bears keeping their season afloat without Williams finally broke. It’s a good thing Johnson sounded optimistic about his star quarterback’s status for a Week 6 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Bears need him back. Badly.

Everything the Bears want to accomplish on offense only works on a consistent basis thanks to Williams. Every single thing.

His arm talent keeps Johnson’s entire playbook open. You can run everything in your scheme without blinking, and the defense is forced to be honest without selling out against the run. While dynamite backfield duo D’Andre Swift and a currently injured Kyle Monangai have run like delightful goblins under Johnson’s Bears, they often get the room to do that because defenses have to respect Williams’ game-changing arm. Williams’ elite mobility also covers for the occasional mistakes the Bears’ otherwise great offensive line makes while giving Chicago’s receivers more room to work with downfield. Not only does Williams keep the Bears on schedule by consistently turning broken plays into positive gains, but the defense also cannot sit on receivers all game because of Williams’ daunting and looming scramble threat. Basically, you have to pick your poison against the Williams-led Bears.

The Packers’ defensive game plan was, more or less, what you run against a quarterback without Williams’ gifts. It’s not a feasible or sustainable strategy against Williams at his best, but that’s the inherent issue here. If the Bears don’t get Williams back soon, they should prepare for a reality where everyone will begin running that sort of strategy against their subdued quarterbacks.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Packers laid bare all the ways the Bears need Caleb Williams’ return