Now the Super Bowl is a distant dream for both the Lions and the Bears, but that doesn’t mean they’ll leave the jungle. Yes, the season was a little too harsh on the Bears with a 5-12 record. The Lions made it to the divisional round but got bested by the Commanders with a 45-31 score line. So is this where the story ends? No, because they are in the same boat now. How? Well, the Bears have been hunting for their next head coach, and guess what? The Offensive Coordinator of the Lions has gotten the crown. Yes, it’s Ben Johnson.

Honestly, it’ll be really interesting to see what Ben Johnson is going to do with the team. It will all start with molding the rookie QB Caleb Williams like clay. For that, Ben Johnson will have to let Caleb know that he has his back. Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky expressed something similar on ESPN, “You’ve got to get that young quarterback to get rid of the scar tissue. Always having to run for his life and feeling like he has to be Superman. I don’t have to do this myself. This coach has got my back.”

Imagine yourself as a former Heisman Trophy Winner, who entered the league with sky-high expectations. Then you see the walls of the dream castle crumbling down brick by brick. Well, unfortunately, that’s what happened with Caleb Williams and the Bears last season. Williams shared his thought process with ESPN. “I would say the frustrating part is obviously we’re on a — how many games now, eight? — yeah, eight-game losing streak. Like I’ve said before, it’s new to me. I haven’t experienced anything like this. That’s the frustrating part. The encouraging part is how much we fight as a team.”

If we recap the last season, the rookie surely had a lot of ups and downs. He was getting sacked around 68 times, which must have created a hindrance to maintaining still water at times. His quarterback rating was 46.5 which dropped him down to 28th rank in the league. Caleb Williams, even facing struggles, was able to bag 3,541 passing yards and 20 TDs and set a rookie record for the Bears. I know, right? The QB got the guns, he just needed the right one to fill him up with ammo. And the coming time will prove if Ben Johnson is the answer or not.

Is Ben Johnson the missing piece to the puzzle for the Bears?

What the Bears have gone through, can put a lot of pressure on the mental psyche of a player. All they need is a person who is going to help them understand that they still have what it takes. Ben Johnson recently entered the Bills’ building and did exactly that. “This is exactly where we wanted to be. This is going to be a challenge. I’m well aware of that. I know what this division is about.” He continued, “Nothing more important than that locker room. And us serving that locker room and those players. They need to feel that from us every single day. And if we do that, the wins are going to come. The playoffs are going to come.” 

Well, that is a true leader right there. And we know Ben Johnson is not just all talks. Under his shadow, the Lions were able to create the second most offensive yards. Even scored the most points on offense. How can we forget his impact on Jared Goff? He struggled in his early years and look where he is now, 4000+ passing yards including 37 TDs. He started off with a mediocre 45.5 QBR in 2021 and sitting on 68.4 in 2024. All these numbers are enough to understand that he got what it takes to unlock Caleb’s true potential. Only time will tell where this new path will lead the Bears.