The Chicago Bears have one more game during the 2024 season. A road test against their hated rival the Green Bay Packers. Chicago is trying to avoid their 12th (yes 12) consecutive loss to their rival to the North. As soon as the game clock hits 0:00, it’s onto the 2025 season.
As it turns out, there is already someone atop their list.
Chicago Just Revealed Their #1 Head Coaching Target (Report)
According to reports, one of the Lions’ biggest rivals wants to hire offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach:
After overseeing an offense that finished fifth in points for in back-to-back seasons, Ben Johnson’s group enters Week 18 with a league-leading 533 points for. At 14-2, the Lions would clinch the NFC’s top seed and first-round bye with a Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
According to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the NFC North rival Chicago Bears are a strong candidate to hire Johnson as their next head coach. Fowler reports that there appears to be “at least some interest” on Johnson’s end:
“Yes, the whispers about him struggling in certain interview settings in the past are there, but Johnson says he has learned from the experience. Fit will be important, but the Bears could appeal to Johnson because he can help quarterback Caleb Williams, streamline the porous offensive line play and give a talented but strained offense some layups and easy yards.
It’s a good job, with its tradition, talent on the roster and cap space to go along with Williams. And it appears that Johnson has at least some interest in the Bears gig.”
The NFL coaching career of Ben Johnson began in 2012 as tight ends coach for the Miami Dolphins under Joe Philbin. The Lions hired him as an assistant under then-HC Matt Patricia in 2019, after he stayed with Miami until 2018.
Here is a look at Chicago’s records since Johnson has been in the NFL:
| Points | Top Players | Off Rank | Def Rank | Overall Rank | Simple Rating System | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Lg | Tm | W | L | T | Div. Finish | Playoffs | PF | PA | PD | Coaches | AV | Passer | Rusher | Receiver | Pts | Yds | Pts | Yds | T/G | Pts± | Yds± | out of | MoV | SoS | SRS | OSRS | DSRS |
| 2024 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 4 | 12 | 0 | 4th of 4 | 286 | 348 | -62 | Eberflus,Brown | Williams | Swift | Moore | 29 | 32 | 12 | 25 | 9 | 23 | 30 | 32 | -3.9 | 0.6 | -3.2 | -5.4 | 2.1 | ||
| 2023 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3rd of 4 | 360 | 379 | -19 | Eberflus | Moore | Fields | Fields | Moore | 18 | 20 | 20 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 15 | 32 | -1.1 | -0.9 | -2.0 | -1.2 | -0.9 | |
| 2022 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 3 | 14 | 0 | 4th of 4 | 326 | 463 | -137 | Eberflus | Fields | Fields | Fields | Kmet | 23 | 28 | 32 | 29 | 20 | 31 | 31 | 32 | -8.1 | 1.6 | -6.4 | -2.5 | -4.0 | |
| 2021 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 6 | 11 | 0 | 3rd of 4 | 311 | 407 | -96 | Nagy | Smith | Fields | Montgomery | Mooney | 27 | 24 | 22 | 6 | 29 | 24 | 20 | 32 | -5.6 | 0.5 | -5.2 | -4.9 | -0.3 | |
| 2020 | NFL | Chicago Bears* | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2nd of 4 | Lost WC | 372 | 370 | 2 | Nagy | Smith | Trubisky | Montgomery | Robinson | 22 | 26 | 14 | 11 | 23 | 15 | 20 | 32 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -2.2 | 2.4 |
| 2019 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3rd of 4 | 280 | 298 | -18 | Nagy | Mack | Trubisky | Montgomery | Robinson | 29 | 29 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 32 | -1.1 | 0.2 | -0.9 | -5.4 | 4.5 | |
| 2018 | NFL | Chicago Bears* | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1st of 4 | Lost WC | 421 | 283 | 138 | Nagy | Mack | Trubisky | Howard | Robinson | 9 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 8.6 | -2.3 | 6.3 | 1.5 | 4.8 |
| 2017 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4th of 4 | 264 | 320 | -56 | Fox | Hicks | Trubisky | Howard | Wright | 29 | 30 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 26 | 32 | -3.5 | 2.2 | -1.3 | -4.6 | 3.3 | |
| 2016 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 3 | 13 | 0 | 4th of 4 | 279 | 399 | -120 | Fox | Howard | Barkley | Howard | Meredith | 28 | 15 | 24 | 15 | 31 | 28 | 12 | 32 | -7.5 | 0.0 | -7.5 | -5.2 | -2.3 | |
| 2015 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 6 | 10 | 0 | 4th of 4 | 335 | 397 | -62 | Fox | Cutler | Cutler | Forte | Jeffery | 23 | 21 | 20 | 14 | 19 | 21 | 16 | 32 | -3.9 | 2.6 | -1.3 | -0.1 | -1.2 | |
| 2014 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4th of 4 | 319 | 442 | -123 | Trestman | Forte | Cutler | Forte | Jeffery | 23 | 21 | 31 | 30 | 22 | 27 | 28 | 32 | -7.7 | 1.0 | -6.7 | -2.0 | -4.7 | |
| 2013 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2nd of 4 | 445 | 478 | -33 | Trestman | Forte | Cutler | Forte | Jeffery | 2 | 8 | 30 | 30 | 11 | 21 | 19 | 32 | -2.1 | -2.1 | -4.1 | 3.0 | -7.1 | |
| 2012 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 10 | 6 | 0 | 3rd of 4 | 375 | 277 | 98 | Smith | Tillman | Cutler | Forte | Marshall | 16 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 32 | 6.1 | 0.8 | 6.9 | 1.0 | 6.0 | |
| 2011 | NFL | Chicago Bears | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3rd of 4 | 353 | 341 | 12 | Smith | ||||||||||||||||||
