Coaches don’t want to see their quarterbacks throw interceptions. Usually. But Bears coach Ben Johnson didn’t mind an interception Caleb Williams threw on Saturday.
With the Bears facing fourth-and-6 at the Packers’ 40-yard line, Williams threw a deep ball for wide receiver Luther Burden. Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine had Burden covered, and if Valentine had just knocked the ball down, it would have been a good play for the Packers.
Instead, Valentine made a diving interception, where Burden touched him down at the 13-yard line. Valentine got up celebrating the interception, but he had actually made a bad play, costing his team 27 yards of field position.
Johnson said today that while he needs Williams and Burden to make sure they’re on the same page about that route going forward, he had no complaints about the result.
“Actually, that was one of the better interceptions you could have, to be honest with you,” Johnson said. “If you’re not going to convert a fourth down, then flipping the field like that is a big deal. There was a miscommunication on that play, and it’s one that we’re fixing.”
Johnson’s comments are a reminder that defensive players should be aware of the game situation and not intercept a pass on fourth down if they’re not going to be able to return it past the line of scrimmage. The Bears would have preferred a completion, but an interception was better than an incompletion.
