Bear Digest

Bears' Ben Johnson Makes Bold Prediction For Division Rival

The Chicago Bears will have their hands full trying to defend their division title in 2026.
Pete Martuneac|
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

At the very moment that the Chicago Bears clinched the 2025 NFC North championship, a giant target appeared on their backs for the 2026 NFL season. Everyone in the division will be gunning for the Bears, and defending their reign as the NFC North champions won't be easy. In fact, Bears head coach Ben Johnson seems to believe it's only going to get harder.

When the Detroit Lions hired new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, many Lions fans reacted poorly online. They didn't get the guy they wanted (many fans had hoped for Kliff Kingsbury), and Petzing wasn't even on many fans' radars. But Ben Johnson wants those fans to know that they got a fantastic play-caller and coordinator.

"I fully expect that offense to be clicking at a high level next year," Johnson told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "It wouldn't surprise me one bit, and I think there's a reason why Dan [Campbell], from what I could gather, cast a wide net for the offensive coordinator job and Drew hit the right notes in terms of what he was looking for... I think it's probably a match made in Heaven."

Johnson even went so far as to suggest that Petzing will be a problem for the Bears' division title defense in 2026, saying, "I think it's a really smart decision by Dan. It's going to be hopefully not too big of a headache on us, but I see it being a really good match."

A match made in Heaven or in purgatory?

I'm not surprised that Johnson is so effusive with his praise for Petzing. The two coaches are fast friends, and NFL coaches rarely, if ever, denigrate each other to the media. But it remains to be seen what kind of match this will end up being. In three years as the Arizona Cardinals' offensive coordinator, he never led a Top 10 offense in points or total yards.

One could argue that the Cardinals don't exactly have a full pantry in terms of offensive talent, but I find that disrespectful of the talent they do have. Kyler Murray, James Conner, and pass-catching options like Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. may not make for a Super Bowl squad, but that's a pretty good collection of talent.

The Lions look like a better situation for Petzing on paper, but they have their own roster problems. A weakened offensive line led to a major regression for quarterback Jared Goff from an MVP candidate to just another guy. David Montgomery may be heading for a change of scenery, either as a trade target or salary cap casualty. Sam LaPorta regressed quite a bit in 2024 after his outstanding rookie season, then missed half of 2025 with an injury.

The Bottom Line

As far as the Lions are concerned, there's no place to go but up. Firing John Morton after one season was the correct call, as Morton was clearly not the successor to Ben Johnson. Petzing should be an upgrade for Detroit, and he'll be working with another solid collection of players, but he will be expected to get this offense back to the top of the league and help Detroit return to the NFC Championship game. An eight-win season won't cut it.

The NFC North is a great division, and Chicago's first title defense in seven years will be brutal, but I don't think Bears fans should worry too much about the Lions. By all appearances, their Super Bowl window closed as quickly as it opened, and they look like they're back to the early Matt Stafford days of being fun and frisky, but not a true postseason threat.

At the end of the day, I trust Ben Johnson in Year 2 a whole lot more than Drew Petzing in Year 1.

Ben Johnso
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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