Caleb Williams only needed one drive to prove Ben Johnson fixed the Bears offense

Even before Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears took the field on Monday Night Football for the first game under new head coach Ben Johnson, the expectations and hope were high. Not only did Johnson arrive in the Windy City by way of his time in Detroit as offensive coordinator as one of the hottest coaching candidates in recent memory, but the Lions looked lost without him. So, Bears fans were hoping that Williams and the offense would find whatever their division rivals lost.

It didn't take long for Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, to prove exactly that. Specifically, we saw it immediately on the Bears' first drive against the Vikings in Week 1.

After the Chicago defense forced a quick three-and-out from Minnesota, Williams took the ball at the Bears 39-yard line and got to work. There was nothing flashy like what we saw from the quarterback in his Heisman-winning campaign at USC in college — at least aside from Williams firing a laser to the sidelines on third down for a beautiful connection with Rome Odunze — but it looked dissecting and methodical as they continually ripped off chunks of yardage against the Brian Flores-coached defense.

And then came the cherry on top as Williams scrambled into clear open lanes on the outside for a nine-yard touchdown run that capped a 10-play, 61-yard drive to start the season.

It feels pretty safe to say by the reaction of the crowd at Soldier Field that this was exactly what Bears fans had been hoping to see — and they were beyond pleased that it was coming to fruition.

Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson look like a perfect marriage already

Williams looked like a completely different player than the one we saw a year ago at the helm of the Bears offense on his first regular-season drive with Johnson. Sure, he wasn't perfect in Week 1, which isn't abnormal for any quarterback breaking into a new system, or even otherwise. There were some plays when he left meat on the bone or maybe didn't see a guy down the field.

However, the most stark contrast was the decision-making. We heard throughout the offseason and in training camp that Johnson was hammering it home that Williams had to be quicker. Too often last year as a rookie, we saw him hold onto the ball, whether looking for the home-run play or just not being convicted in where to make the throw. That's why he led the NFL in sacks for a quarterback.

That wasn't the case on the first drive at all, though. He was happy to take the easy yards when they were there, checking it down to his backs and tight ends, and taking shots when the opportunity was there as well. It looked clinical and entirely optimistic.

Even though the Bears and Williams didn't score on the next handful of drives thereafter, the positive vibes were still there, including the quarterback completing his first 10 passes of the night, eluding any pressure, and not making any glaring mistakes. Again, this is what Bears fans were hoping and waiting for. To see it play out, though, had to also feel like a sigh of relief given the years-long struggles at the position for this franchise.

Bears upgraded more than just their head coach to help Caleb Williams

Make no mistake, Johnson deserves a ton of the credit for the hot, impressive start from Williams and the Bears offense. However, what stood out beyond the coaching that's taken place was that the young quarterback also wasn't having to operate under duress.

Especially against a pass-rush as potent as Minnesota's, we would've seen Williams running for his life last season behind that Bears offensive line. But Chicago was aggressive this offseason to upgrade in the trenches. Whether it was trading for and extending Joe Thuney, signing Drew Dalman in free agency, or even trading for Jonah Jackson, this team fortified the protection on the interior for Williams.

More important than making the moves, the moves seemed to pay immediate dividends. The Bears were giving Williams a ton of clean pockets to work from, not letting any pressure disrupt the offense in a meaningful way.

When you think back to Johnson in Detroit, that was a hallmark of the Lions when it came to the offensive line. So, it's not shocking to see that general manager Ryan Poles wanted to give his new head coach and young signal-caller a similar situation. The fact that it's working and that he apparently also chose the right additions only makes that an even wiser move from the front office.

Obviously, we don't want to say that everything is fixed forever based on one drive and even one game in the first week of the regular season. Given what Bears fans have been through with the offense, though, you can't blame anyone for getting excited after the early returns.