Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson met with reporters virtually Tuesday a day after his team beat the Washington Commanders on a last-second field goal.

Monday night felt like a major step for Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears. It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means. But different players stepped up in critical moments to win a game the Bears had normally lost in the past.

[ 5 big takeaways from Chicago Bears’ last-minute win over the Washington Commanders ]

Chicago will now need to quickly move on with the shorter week ahead before it hosts the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon. Here are three of the most interesting things Johnson said Tuesday.

On getting in sync with Caleb Williams

One of the most important, if not the most important, tasks Johnson had since taking over this offseason was developing a strong relationship with Williams. That includes making sure they are in sync with each other. Monday was a good example that they’re heading in that direction.

Williams has looked more comfortable in Johnson’s offense with each game he’s played. He’s proven how much he’s grown in it after effectively running a game-winning drive in the final minutes for a second straight game Monday.

Johnson said he and Williams are more on the same page with the more time they spend with each other. Williams has a better understanding of why Johnson calls plays at specific moments, something Johnson said will help Williams play faster, which will help everything else slow down for him.

“I think he’s getting this broader understanding for maybe some things that we don’t talk about that particular week, yet if we hit them on that particular week, they do carry over,” Johnson said. “We’re just continuing to get more and more knowledge as we go. I think that’s really key for that relationship.”

Williams’ ability to be in sync with Johnson helped him make a situationally aware play during Monday’s game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.

Instead of running out of bounds when he faced pressure, Williams slid and stayed in bounds to keep the clock running. The play forced Washington to burn its final time out, and Chicago ran out the clock before the final-second field goal kick.

“He knows,” Johnson said. “He’s been playing football his entire life. He understands that, and we continue to work all those situations each week anyway, and it continues to compile up for us.”

On strong offensive line play helping the run game

Monday night seemed to be the game where things finally started to click for the Bears’ rushing attack. Chicago’s offensive line played a major role in the season-best performance.

The Bears rushed for a season-high 145 yards as a team on 27 carries. Lead running back D’Andre Swift rushed for a season-high 108 yards on 14 carries. Rookie running back Kyle Monangai added 19 yards on five carries while wide receiver DJ Moore had 10 yards on two runs.

A lot of the strong numbers came thanks to a total performance from the entire Bears run game. The offensive line bullied the Commanders at times and consistently created open lanes for runners. It led to a 69% efficiency rating by Johnson, a high mark for the group.

“That’s the best that we’ve played collectively as a group,” Johnson said. “We gave those runners some daylight and they were able to hit the holes, and that’s why we were so efficient running the ball. That’s the most efficient we’ve been throughout.

Both of the Bears’ tackles played a major role in setting lanes on the outside. Right tackle Darnell Wright came up with big blocks in his first game back from an elbow injury that forced him to miss a game. Meanwhile, left tackle Theo Benedet looked comfortable in his first start at the spot.

“Theo, he doesn’t bat an eye,” Johnson said. “Nothing’s too big for him. And I think that about a lot of guys on this team. They’re very clutch where the pressure, for a lot of players it can get to you, it doesn’t get to them, and they’re kind of built for these types of moments, so he’s in that mold. Darnell, it was good to have him back. He didn’t really miss a beat. You feel his presence. Not only can he displace people in the running game, but you see what he’s capable out in space as well, whether it’s a screen or whether it’s one of the toss crack series plays that we had up. Very, very grateful to have him back.”

On handling penalties

Penalties continued to hurt the Bears even after the bye week.

Chicago committed nine penalties for 84 yards in Monday’s game. The Bears have committed 43 penalties as a team through five games for 362 yards. They’ve been called for at least six penalties in each game and at least eight in four games.

Some of Monday’s penalties were debatable, at least. But Johnson said the Bears should be used to it since there are bound to be some controversial calls in each game.

“Some calls come our way,” Johnson said. “Some calls don’t. We just keep playing. It’s something we can’t control. We have always felt that way. There is no point really in going palms up or looking to complain to officials about it.”

One of the most controversial plays came in the third quarter when Benedet was called for an illegal formation because he was off the line of scrimmage. The penalty nullified a touchdown to wide receiver Rome Odunze.

“I think [quarterback Caleb Williams is] getting this broader understanding for maybe some things that we don’t talk about that particular week, yet if we hit them on that particular week they do carry over. We’re just continuing to get more and more knowledge as we go. I think that’s really key for that relationship.”

—  Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears head coach

Coaches can turn in plays to be reviewed by the NFL’s officiating department. But Johnson would only do it to improve how his coaching staff teaches plays.

“I think only if we need clarity in how we’re coaching something,” Johnson said. “There might’ve been one or two from this game that we weren’t quite sure how we need to coach this better. That’s really the extent of it.”