What ESPN says Ben Johnson has gotten right for Bears so far in 2025

Ben Johnson might not be totally happy with his midseason report card as a playcaller, but Bears fans should be.

Sep 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson talks with quarterback Caleb Williams (18) against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

When your football team is 7-3 heading into Week 11, the head coach has clearly done something right. For Ben Johnson, that includes two roles: coaching the team as a whole and calling the offensive plays at the same time.

The early returns have been highly encouraging.

ESPN’s team of NFL Nation staff writers had plenty of praise for Johnson and the Bears’ offensive coaching in their midseason assessment of teams' offensive coordinators and playcallers, which is leading this unit to its best performance since Jay Cutler played here.

“Johnson's offense had the Bears averaging 26.6 points per game (seventh) heading into Week 11. Chicago surpassed the 20-point mark in eight of nine games, which is one more than it totaled in all of 2024,” the story reads. “QB Caleb Williams' growth through 10 weeks is tangible; he ranks 13th in passing (2,136 yards) and has taken the fourth-fewest sacks (14). That's a byproduct of a revamped offensive line that ranks second in pass block win rate (71%) and the balance the Bears achieved by finally getting their running game established (which now ranks second at 147.3 yards per game), which has this offense in a rhythm.”

In short, there’s a lot to like about the Chicago Bears’ offense just over halfway into Johnson’s first campaign in Chicago.

It’s gone through its ups and downs, of course, especially early in the season. The article takes some time to address those concerns, especially when it comes to putting teams away earlier and eschewing the need for all these fourth-quarter comebacks. Plus, Williams’ accuracy and processing still need work at times, though it would also help if his receivers caught the ball more consistently. Though he's continued to improve, the authors note his 42.7% success rate on dropbacks ranks 28th in the league. One has to figure both Williams and Johnson aren't satisfied with that.

But even through the struggles, the Bears have continued to score points. That, and they might be the most clutch offense in the league as evidenced by those five game-winning drives.

All that, and the Bears are just getting warmed up. That should frighten the league.

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