Bear Digest

NFC North hardly viewed as right there for Ben Johnson's taking

Will the Bears get a boost by weakening Detroit with Ben Johnson now in Chicago? It's not quite so clear according to a panel of "experts."
Gene Chamberlain|
It might seem the Bears and maybe other NFC North teams are poised to move past the Lions but not everyone agrees.
It might seem the Bears and maybe other NFC North teams are poised to move past the Lions but not everyone agrees. | Audrey Richardson / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The greatest expected Bears impact from signing Ben Johnson as head coach is bringing a cutting-edge offense to Chicago and someone who might have a better idea how to help quarterback Caleb Williams better realize his potential.

While everything points to Johnson being an improvement designing and calling plays, it's not a given the team's struggles are over.

After all, Matt Eberflus greatly improved one side of the football by the end of 2023 and even into the sixth week of 2024 but the offensive problems dragged down the Bears and eventually it caved in on the full team.

However, one of side effects of signing Johnson as also weakening another divisional team, in this case the division champion Lions. And it couldn't have helped the losing both coordinators.

With Minnesota potentially facing the use of a new quarterback once more, and Green Bay coming trying to figure out Jordan Love's drop in completion percentage from 64.2% to 63.1% in his second season as starter—usually the second year means an increase with this statistic—the opportunity looks great for a classical last-to-first rise by Johnson's Bears within the division.

Guess again, say some of ESPN's finest. A panel of 13 assembled by ESPN.com to be futurists and look at the league for 2025 don't necessarily see this season without coordinators as the Detroit Lions' downfall.

NFL analyst Matt Bowen still sees the Lions making the Super Bowl, except winning it over Baltimore. So much for the negative impact of losing coordinators.

"Even with the departure of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, this is still Dan Campbell's football program," Bowen wrote.

ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Moody saw the Lions in the Super Bowl, too, except losing to Buffalo. It was the same Super Bowl matchup NFL analyst Aaron Schatz predicted and with the same result.

"America gets the Super Bowl it wanted the previous season, as Josh Allen finally wins the AFC and Detroit has another strong (and healthier) season despite new coordinators on both sides of the ball," Schatz rote.

Analyst and former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum aw the Ravens beating the Lions in the Super Bowl.

It is Tannenbaum's theory that the defense is what now will carry the Lions, just like Schatz hinted at with his comment about a healthier season. The Lions had second string, third string and even practice squad people or street free agents playing on defense at some positions when they were trying to win against Washington.

"Baltimore's youth will greatly improve in the secondary, and (Detroit's Aidan) Hutchinson will register 18 sacks to win Defensive Player of the Year," Tannenbaum wrote.

This is not a consensus opinion. In fact, panelists Field Yates, Pamela Maldonado and Lindsey Thiry all labeled the Lions the team to decline.

However, none foresaw a collapse and Yates even thought they'd win the NFC North again.

"They're my early pick to win the NFC North, but it could be through a 12-5 season as opposed to a 15-2 season," he wrote.

The Bears received pats on the back from the group as a rising or turnaround team, especially Caleb Williams.

However, in the end the big advantage they should get by weakening a division champion by raiding the coaching staff doesn't seem to make much difference to these 13 panelists.

Another team that might decline to the benefit of the Bears is actually the Minnesota Vikings. They almost had the division, won 14 games and seem to have lost support among these panelists over the QB change if Sam Darnold does indeed leave.

Three panelists cited the Vikings as the team to fall back and senior NFL writer Jason Reid probably described the situation best.

"So many things went right for them in 2024," Reid wrote. "It's difficult to imagine they will have as many things break their way, especially with a potential change at quarterback."

When you add up the writers who do see a Lions drop with those who see a Vikings drop, it might look like opportunity for the Bears.

However, two of the panelists see the Packers in the Super Bowl, one had Jordan Love as NFL MVP and analyst Seth Walder has Green Bay winning the Super Bowl, pointing out they were the NFL's youngest team last year.

It's not the kind of thing Bears fans would like to hear.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.