Bears HC Ben Johnson is suddenly faced with the toughest challenge of his coaching career after Caleb Williams’ injury, offensive regression
The Chicago Bears have reached rock bottom after being on top of the world. The only thing still going for this team right now is Ben Johnson leading the charge, and he’s faced with his toughest challenge yet.
The Chicago Bears have seemingly hit rock bottom after the 3-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, one week removed from being on top of the world after a 59-point outing in the regular season opener.
The Bears head into Week 3 potentially without their starting quarterback in Caleb Williams, who is set to undergo an MRI later today on his injured hamstring, and with an offense that is suddenly riddled with questions and concerns. The one positive is that this group is still led by Ben Johnson, who now faces his toughest test of his coaching career.
It’s on Ben Johnson to rally the Chicago Bears, and the offense, after the Week 2 losses
This is Ben Johnson’s opportunity to prove he’s the elite coach everyone believes him to be. I have no doubt that Johnson will have his team prepared to move forward after the losses suffered on Sunday but it is some uncharted territory coming up for Johnson.
Between his time as the offensive coordinator in Detroit and the head coach in Chicago, Johnson has led the offense for 77 games, including playoffs. Not once has Johnson been forced to turn to a backup quarterback in a regular season game. Next Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles could be the first if Tyson Bagent is forced to start.
Not only is that a challenge, but Johnson will also be coming off the second-worst offensive performance of his coaching career as a primary play-caller. The only game worse than Sunday’s showing was the Detroit Lions’ shutout loss to the New England Patriots in 2022, Johnson’s fifth game as an offensive coordinator.
Johnson was outcoached, outschemed, and his offense was outplayed on Sunday well before his starting quarterback went down due to injury. Weather, self-inflicted mistakes, and facing the toughest defensive mind in the league didn’t help things, but Johnson’s offense looked human on Sunday one week after looking unstoppable.
Can Ben Johnson regroup the Bears’ offense with Tyson Bagent at quarterback?
Again, we’re still waiting on the results of Williams’ MRI to know how long Chicago’s starting quarterback will be sidelined. But, even in the very best case scenario, it’s unlikely Williams will be able to make it back in time for the Week 3 matchup.
That means Johnson will have turn to Bagent to get his offense back on track, a player he once deemed one of the top 32 quarterbacks in the league, who has been preparing every single day for this opportunity to arise where he can prove everything Johnson said is true.
“I just think about it like I am the starter,” Bagent said in August. “Which is how you have to think about it. If you think about anything less than that, you’re probably not going to be as prepared as you would have been if you had that thought process. Just trying to convince myself mentally that I am 100 percent going to play. Realistically speaking, I am one play away. So, trying to stay as sharp as we can because the Chicago Bears, we got things we want to accomplish this year and I don’t want us hitting any bumps in the road because I’m in the game. I’m looking to go in and be full steam ahead.”
The Bears did hit a bump in the road on Sunday when Bagent entered the game. Prior to Williams’ injury, the Bears were knocking on the door of scoring points in a 3-6 ballgame. That drive ultimately ended with zero points after the Bears allowed a field goal to be blocked. The following drive, Bagent led the offense down the field needing a touchdown to win it, but came up short after being sacked on the final play.
That outcome did not dimmish the confidence the team has in Bagent leading the unit. Some even believe he can operate within the structure of Johnson’s offense better than Williams, who tends to freelance more often than not. However, the only time we’ve been able to see that come to light is in preseason action against backups.
Stepping up in the regular season is a different animal, and Bagent had mixed success the last time he was called upon to start in relief of an injured quarterback back in 2023, but that was without this head coach. Now, it’s on Johnson to have Bagent ready for next Monday, and get the entire offense back on track, before this fall turns into a tumble.
