For the Chicago Bears to make a playoff run, Ben Johnson has to trust his offense — and his quarterback — when it matters most.
Far be it from me to tell Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson how to scheme an offense or what play to call on game day.
Johnson is one of the very best in the world at his craft. If playcalling were sheet music, Johnson would be Mozart — and I’m the simpleton sitting in the balcony, listening to the symphony play.
And yet, the Bears’ offense was so discombobulated against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 that even from a seat in the back row of the theater, it was clear as day how many notes were flat.
So as we look ahead to a Wild Card weekend matchup between the Bears and Packers — the single biggest Bears game in the last 15 years — it has never been clearer that Johnson needs to make some changes.
The Bears are a flawed football team. Even during an incredibly magical season that produced 11 wins and an NFC North title, that much has been painfully obvious.
It starts on the defensive side of the ball. Chicago doesn’t have much of a pass rush or defensive front. And even as they’ve generated more pressure on opposing quarterbacks in recent weeks, injuries at the second level have left behind a unit that’s playing far too slow.
The Bears simply don’t have much speed. The starting linebackers haven’t been very good since returning from injury. And putting Nahshon Wright or C.J. Gardner-Johnson against wide receivers in man coverage is a losing battle every time.
Even Jaylon Johnson appears to have lost a step while dealing with nagging injuries.
As a result, the Bears defense has been picked apart. At times, they’ve done a nice job using the back of the end zone as an extra defender to force stops in the red zone. That bend-but-don’t-break approach has allowed them to stay in games and limit total points.
But don’t let the 16 points allowed to the Packers in Week 16 or the 19 points scored by the Lions in Week 18 deceive you. The Bears’ defense was carved up in both games.
Opponents have figured out the formula: go on long, sustained drives by gaining 5-7 yards per play and keep the ball out of Caleb Williams’ hands.
The Bears’ offense didn’t start particularly hot against the Lions, but they did move the ball effectively on two of their first three drives. Those just happened to be the only drives they had in the first half — and they came away with zero points.
By the time 30 percent of the game clock had ticked away on Sunday — with 11 minutes remaining in the second quarter — Caleb Williams had thrown only one legitimate pass.
He was 1-of-2 for eight yards, with one throwaway.
Williams has been playing some of his best football in December. Every time the Bears lean into their passing game and put the ball in his hands, he finds a way to come through.
It’s not a great recipe for success when your star quarterback has virtually no opportunity to impact the game for most of the first half.
It’s also not ideal when the fate of the game isn’t in his hands at the end. And now, for two straight games, decisions made by Ben Johnson have taken the game out of Caleb Williams’ control.
Against the San Francisco 49ers, the Bears faced 2nd-and-10 from the 13-yard line with 21 seconds remaining and no timeouts. Johnson dialed up a hook-and-ladder — a call whose merits can be debated — and while it resulted in a first down, the ensuing scramble to the line forced a spike with just four seconds left.
Williams had only one shot at the end zone. And even that play call didn’t get in on time.
The Bears didn’t run out of downs against the 49ers. They ran out of time. And the clock management at the end was certainly questionable.
I would have preferred to see Caleb — and his rocket arm — get three shots at the end zone with time to spare. Give him every possible chance to go win the game.
Then, against the Lions, the Bears faced a critical fourth-and-five from their own 31-yard line. The game was tied 16–16, and Chicago had all three timeouts remaining.
Johnson chose to punt.
Detroit sliced through the Bears’ defense like butter, got into field goal range, ran out the clock, and kicked a game-winner as time expired.
When the broadcast camera briefly panned to Johnson on the sideline, he was seen shaking his head and mouthing, “Should’ve gone for it.”
He absolutely should have.
Anyone watching that game could tell the Bears had a far better chance of converting on fourth-and-five than they did of stopping the Lions from reaching field goal range. And even if they failed, they still would have had three timeouts and a chance to get the ball back with a stop.
But that’s the entire point.
When the game is on the line, it needs to be the Bears’ offense — and Caleb Williams — in control. Not Chicago’s lackluster defense.
So no, I won’t tell Ben Johnson what play to call or how to operate his offense. But if the Bears have any chance of making a playoff run this season, Johnson has to be more aggressive.
He needs to come out swinging offensively. No more runs on second-and-long. No more trying to establish the ground game early when it’s clearly not working. You don’t know how many possessions you’re going to get — or how much your defense is going to struggle with time of possession.
Let Caleb Williams play ball right off the rip.
And when the game tightens late, if you need to be aggressive on fourth down, do it.
Bears fans would much rather see this team go down swinging with the offense than look back wondering, "what if we got the ball back?"
We know Ben Johnson is a very good head coach. His first year in Chicago made that much clear. But taking the next step means winning playoff games — and to do that, you have to understand your team and lean into its strengths.
Hopefully, two painful losses to close out the season leave an impression as the Bears prepare to host the Packers on Saturday.
It’s time for the Bears to change how they manage games — and start playing to win.