Vikings DC Brian Flores finally figured out Bears HC Ben Johnson in Week 1, but it’s a much different Chicago team with Caleb Williams
There is one key to beating Ben Johnson’s offense, and it’s easier said than done.
The Minnesota Vikings are in must-win territory on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Chicago Bears.
The Vikings might be 2-0 in the division, but they are currently 4-5 overall and one or two more losses could do them in when it comes to making the playoffs in a stacked NFC. A lot of the focus is going to be on quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He is 2-2 in his short career with one of those wins coming in Week 1 against the Bears.
Even with the focus being on McCarthy, the Vikings’ focus is going to be on the other side of the football.
Ben Johnson has evolved the Bears’ offense since Week 1
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has struggled against Bears head coach Ben Johnson. He lost the first four meetings, allowing at least 30 points in all of those meetings. In Week 1, Flores finally got the better of Johnson, but it was his first game as a head coach.
Since then, the Bears have grown quite a bit, with the biggest jump being in the running game. I spoke to A to Z Sports’ Bears beat writer Kole Noble about the growth of the offense since the first matchup.
“Since the bye week, Ben Johnson’s offense has been playing among the best units in football and it all starts up front. Johnson knew it would take time for the offensive line (which now has four new faces) to gel, and now we’re seeing a well-oiled operation. The unit has also started cleaning up some of the penalty and red zone issues that held the offense back.
“The results in the run game have been outstanding with Chicago averaging a league-high 183.4 rushing yards over the last five games. D’Andre Swift returned to the fold in Week 10 and averaged six yards per carry. Even when Swift was out in Week 9, rookie Kyle Monangai rumbled for 176 yards behind the offensive line. With Swift and Monangai together, Johnson is getting back to his bread and butter offense he cooked with in Detroit.”
The run game is such an important aspect of Johnson’s offense. Since the bye week, the Bears have the third highest EPA/rush and success rate in the NFL. Noble notes that the offensive line has finally gelled together. General manager Ryan Poles spent the entire offseason focusing on the unit by adding Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson to right tackle Darnell Wright and it’s coming together nicely.
The passing game has also taken a step forward with quarterback Caleb Williams, who has taken just 14 sacks across nine starts after taking 68 in 2024.
“As for the passing game, everything is being built off the run as anticipated, with a heavy dose of play-action and designed rollouts for Williams to get the ball into the hands of the team’s play-makers in the passing game. Rome Odunze is still the team’s go-to option in the passing game but Johnson is developing more and more trust in rookie TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden III with each player continuing to impress when they get the ball. DJ Moore has been the quiet one throughout the entire season, but can easily hurt a defense once he starts getting more opportunities with the football. This group still hasn’t played a complete game as a whole and when they do, this unit will put up some serious points on the board.”
The biggest aspect of the passing game that Noble doesn’t mention is how much Williams still scrambles. Last week, the Vikings did a great job of staying disciplined with their rush lanes, and they will need to have that same discipline to defeat the Bears. It’s going to be crucial on both sides of the football for the Vikings, and they have shown the ability to do just that.
If they can stay disciplined throughout the entire game, the Vikings can get the win over the Bears, and Flores will have his guys ready to go.
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