Many teams wanted Ben Johnson. He became the hottest coaching prospect over the last few seasons and could pick his spot. He chose not to take a position despite strong interest from several teams in 2024. He passed in 2025 on an intense pursuit by the Las Vegas Raiders and Tom Brady. He instead selected the Chicago Bears.
Sports fans demand instant results, especially when their team has suffered for decades, like Chicago enthusiasts. They don’t want to hear “be patient,” they have waited long enough. During the first two games of the season, their endurance was tested, especially after a 52-21 beatdown by the Detroit Lions. The Bears’ response Sunday afternoon showed why the Ben Johnson effect is real and how it is transforming Chicago.
The Lions embarrassed the Bears in Week Two. Chicago couldn’t generate a pass rush, and Jared Goff picked them apart. In years past, a similar thrashing or a heart-wrenching loss would inevitably mean much worse humiliations to come.
Last season, the Washington Commanders beat the Bears on a Hail Mary. Tyrique Stevenson taunted fans, thinking the game was secure, rather than focusing on the play. Head Coach Matt Eberflus missed Stevenson being out of defensive positioning, even though everyone else caught it. Chicago lost 15-13 and never recovered, losing the next eight games.
One can go back to the infamous Marc Trestman debacle to see similar ineptitude. In 2014, the New England Patriots thoroughly outclassed the Bears 51-23. Despite having a bye week and extra time to prepare, Chicago responded by getting annihilated 55-14 by the Green Bay Packers.
One can go back over the last few decades and find many other cases. When an opponent has annihilated the Bears, their track record has been to quit. The ineptitude spreads like a virus, and seasons go down the tube.
Chicago fans, therefore, would have been justified in expecting more of the same against the Dallas Cowboys. Johnson called the team out earlier in the week, the second time in a matter of days. Bears enthusiasts hadn’t seen a coach do this since the days of Mike Ditka.
Instead of rolling over and letting their opponent kick them around, Chicago responded with one of its best all-around games in years. Despite having numerous key players injured, including shutdown corner Jaylon Johnson, they creamed the Cowboys 31-14.
The recent reigns of Bears head coaches led to offenses designed for the days of the Flintstones rather than those of the Jetsons. It looked like the play calling came from the era of leather helmets, and when forward passing was illegal. Opposing defenses thrived, keying up on Chicago’s predictability and lack of execution.
Johnson, on the other hand, thrives on space-age gadget plays and using all weapons in any way possible. He used a flea flicker to get rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III open and extend the Bears’ lead on a thrilling 65-yard touchdown pass. There are so many other crafty plays Johnson will use from his extensive playbook. Ingenuity, Chicago? Yes, indeed it is so!
The Bears have a pitiful track record with drafting and developing quarterbacks. The most recent horrors include head coach Matt Nagy’s mismanagement of Justin Fields and the selection of Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes.
The poor development trends continued last year. Eberflus and his choice of appalling offensive coordinator Shane Waldron mishandled Caleb Williams. Suffering terribly behind a haphazard offensive line crafted by General Manager Ryan Poles, Williams was limited further behind incompetent play designs by Waldron and dreadful in-game management by Eberflus.
The 2024 struggles put intense scrutiny on Williams and his every move; much of it is unfair, as he never had a chance for success last season. He is now paired with a master playcaller in Johnson, who transformed the Lions’ offense from a laughingstock to one of the game’s best.
Sunday afternoon, fans witnessed Williams’ best. He showed off his electric arm, throwing a 65-yard rope to Burden on the flea-flicker play. He used all his weapons, throwing a touchdown to DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, Rome Odunze, and Burden. Williams tied his career high with four touchdown passes and played with a confidence that was nonexistent last season.
The Johnson hype led to inflated expectations over the offseason, and many insiders pushed Chicago up to projected fringe playoff status. They didn’t examine carefully the difficult work it would take to navigate the brutal NFC North and transform a culture ingrained in years of losing.
The Bears’ ceiling this season is a seven-to-eight-win team; they are likely to finish in the NFC North basement again. Grading the season on record is going to disappoint many fans.
Success will come from destroying the comfort level with losing and creating a foundation that demands success. Johnson has brought an intensity that hasn’t been seen since the Ditka days. Players are being held accountable, and Johnson is calling them out for lackadaisical effort and focus.
Williams has a world of talent; he can make any throw and combine that with his scrambling ability. Accuracy and consistency are what he needs to command to become elite. He gets jittery in the pocket, and his throws go off target. These are mechanical issues that can be fixed through meticulous coaching.
Johnson turned around a failed former top pick in Goff, who the Los Angeles Rams eagerly got rid of. He became the conductor of a highly skilled and precise Lions’ attack, which scored the most points in the National Football League last season.
Goff doesn’t have the talent level of Williams. The biggest reason Johnson chose the Bears is what he thinks Williams can be. He provided glimpses of that on Sunday afternoon. Success this season will come through Williams taking the steps to harness accuracy, composure, and consistency. He has the coach to get him there.
This season will also be defined by the foundation that Johnson sets. He has made it clear that losing, developed through bad practice habits, will not be tolerated. He will demand his team fight through adversity and expect to be great. That is how a culture of defeat will be transformed into one that creates winners. On Sunday, Chicago showed this is underway with fortitude that many fans had never seen before.
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