Sean McVay shows respect for Ben Johnson ahead of Bears-Rams Divisional matchup

Sean McVay shared his respect for Ben Johnson as the Bears prepare to face the Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.

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Most Chicago Bears fans would agree that the biggest variable in the succes of the Bears' incredible 2025 season has been head coach Ben Johnson.

In just one season on the job, Johnson has already turned the Bears into one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL. His work with quarterback Caleb Williams has been nothing short of spectacular. Williams has quickly turned into one of the most clutch QBs in the NFL, and he's only scratching the surface.

It's worth noting that Williams' first season paired with Ben Johnson saw him break the Chicago Bears' single-season passing record. Not bad.

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As the Bears prepare to face the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round playoff game, the chess match within the game between Johnson and Rams coach Sean McVay will be the biggest storyline to monitor.

McVay is widely considered the NFL's top offensive mind. In fact, Johnson was often described as 'the next Sean McVay' during the 2024 offseason coaching cycle.

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“I’ve studied him really closely from when he took over and started doing it in Detroit,” McVay said of Johnson, via Pro Football Talk. “I think the guys that do the best job are the ones that you can see there’s a true understanding of what defenses are doing and an intent to try to be able to manipulate a lot of the rules and the coaching points and to really try to attack your front mechanics, your coverage contours, understand some of the percentages of what you’re doing situationally, and then being able to maximize his player skill sets. You could see there’s a philosophy and core beliefs in terms of how he wants to build it."

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The fact Ben Johnson has been able to find success with two completely different quarterback styles -- Jared Goff vs. Caleb Williams -- drew McVay's respect, too.

“I think what shows his flexibility is the ability to have one of the best offenses with a player like Jared [Goff] who’s really special and then being able to have some similar foundational principles with Caleb [Williams], but also be able to accentuate the things that make him really unique with the athleticism, the ability to move the spot and then take advantage of their skill around it,” McVay said. “He does a damn good job."

Well. There you have it. Sean McVay has given Ben Johnson his seal of approval. Sure, the Rams are the Bears' foes this week. But Bears Nation should feel pretty good about this endorsement.

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