The Detroit Lions will play in one of the toughest divisions in football as the NFC North is ripe with storylines this season. One of the biggest is how former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will do in his first season as head coach of the Chicago Bears and how his coaching will help quarterback Caleb Williams turn into the franchise quarterback many expected when he was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Johnson has been active in trying to get Williams in the best shape physically and mentally before the Bears open the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8. But while he may be screaming until he turns Honolulu Blue to make that happen, he received an unlikely assist from a Lions star.
#Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown says #Bears QB Caleb Williams gets unfairly hated on social media:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 3, 2025
“I swear he can’t breathe. … I feel bad sometimes.”
Much respect to Amon-Ra for saying this... 🫡
(via @StBrownPodcast) pic.twitter.com/1pwEh6OBB1
Amon-Ra St. Brown Gives Caleb Williams a Final Piece of Encouragement Before Matchup vs. Vikings
Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown had some words of encouragement for Williams during the latest episode of the St. Brown Podcast released on Wednesday morning. Speaking on behalf of his fellow USC alum, St. Brown lamented the constant criticism that Williams receives from the media and feels like he deserves his due heading into his sophomore campaign.
“I’ll be on Twitter, like, I feel like they’d be on his **** 24/7. He can’t do **** right?” St. Brown said. “Like no matter what he does good or bad, it’s all on Twitter. Like, they, I swear he can’t breathe. Like, there’s one dude in the NFL is him. Like, not one step wrong? It’s like, oh, Caleb did this, this and this? Like, bro. They can’t just let him be.…I feel bad for him sometimes.”
Williams came into the league with sky-high expectations but came up short in his rookie season. Williams had modest stats, throwing for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 62.5% of his passes, but the Bears endured a 5-12 season where Williams couldn’t stop the bleeding during a 10-game losing streak.
That convinced the Bears to hire Johnson, who has been working toward building Williams’ confidence entering his second year. While Johnson has coached Williams hard during training camp, he saw some of the benefits when Williams threw for 107 yards and a touchdown during a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills last month.
Things didn’t go as well in Chicago’s preseason finale when he completed 11-of-15 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. But Johnson has to get his confidence back up, going against a Vikings defense that ranked fifth in points allowed and second in turnover rate (16.6%) last season.
Johnson may eventually become an enemy of the Lions after hinting he has some extra tricks up his sleeve when the two teams go head-to-head. But St. Brown’s words of encouragement could help Williams play loose and free and perhaps give the Lions an unintended assist with an upset of a team that could compete with Detroit for an NFC North title this season.