With the regular season very nearly behind us, it's officially safe to say that first-year head coach Ben Johnson changed the Chicago Bears.
Not only is the team 11–6, first in the NFC North, and headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, but Johnson and his incredible offensive mind seem to have totally upgraded second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, who looks miles and miles better than he did in his first year under center.
In perhaps a tribute to this transformation, or maybe just a sign of the love he has for his coach, Williams fittingly paid tribute to Johnson ahead of the Bears' regular-season finale on Sunday afternoon.
Specifically, the QB donned Johnson's high school jersey as he strutted through the tunnel pregame—a green shirt with yellow trim and the No. 12 emblazoned on the front.
Caleb Williams pulled up wearing his head coach Ben Johnson’s high school jersey 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8TSCVchGVC
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 4, 2026
Despite a big comeback (their M.O. this season), the Bears were unable to leave the regular season with a win, falling 19–16 to the Lions in Week 18. But surely they're still riding high on the success of the year, which they owe to the very coach Williams just honored.
Chicago will now enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed and will start with a home contest against the rival Packers in the wild-card round. The teams split their regular-season series with a win each.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caleb Williams Wore Coolest Ben Johnson Tribute to Bears' Game vs. Lions.
