No QB Needed: Johnson’s Playbook Wins
Watching Ben Johnson’s success with the Chicago Bears this 2025 season, it’s clear the guy is special. He is the core of this current 9-3 team.
He already proved himself in Detroit, The deflating 2025 Lions are only more proof how closely tied to Johnson that team’s meteoric rise was, directly correlating to his time as the Lions offensive coordinator.
Watching both his Detroit team and now Chicago team, two things are obvious:
- Johnson is a grand master of offense scheming. At least, he is in this current moment, for how football is played in 2025. How long his success endures, only time will tell, but if the past 3-4 years are an indicator, the immediate future, say 1-2 years, looks bright for the Chicago Bears, regardless of what happens the remainder of this season. Beating the Super Bowl champ Philadelphia Eagles cemented this standing.
- Johnson does not need a great quarterback, only a serviceable one that can execute his plays. Johnson, frankly, does the hard part, scheming for his current opponent and the tactical calling of in-game plays. Jared Goff may be a good or even very good QB, but it seems a stretch to call him elite for the NFL. Goff was exactly what Johnson needed when he started running Detroit’s offense – a veteran quarterback who quickly internalized his new OC’s playbook. It will be interesting to see how Caleb Williams, a de facto year 2 rookie having to learn Johnson’s offense, will progress and be molded by his head coach.
Professional sports are good at year-over-year adapting to the latest threat, and that is why it’s foolish to herald Ben Johnson as the bringer of a golden age to Chicago and the Chicago Bears. Still, it will be interesting to see where it all goes.
