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The Biggest Problems Facing Ben Johnson's Bears Offense for Week 1

Carolina's defensive personnel alterations during the offseason and a massive headache in the middle can create early scoring issues for Caleb Williams and Co.
Gene Chamberlain|
Massive Carolina Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown poses a huge concern for Bears' plans in the running game.
Massive Carolina Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown poses a huge concern for Bears' plans in the running game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

There are problems facing Ben Johnson's Bears offense when they line up against Carolina Sunday, and because it's the opener it's all compounded by the potential for unscouted looks.

Essentially, everything is unscouted in the opener because no team shows anything complex about their offense or defense in the preseason. Even at training camp teams are somewhat guarded. People are always watching.

"I think we're able to correct pretty quickly what we see in the first half versus what adjustments we make maybe at halftime or going into the second half," Johnson said. "I think that's in all three phases.

"I think it's the best coaching job of the year is early in the season, just making sure you're putting out any fires that might occur.”

Starting slow and coming on strong is not exactly what Johnson said he wants to see from his team, but the element of surprise can be a bigger issue earlier in the year.

Johnson's plans always begin with running the football, then play-action passing. Panthers personnel presents enough problems for the Bears to challenge everything Johnson wants to do, although it's questionable whether Ejiro Evero' defense has the personnel to keep a lid on everything.

Evero has headed up defenses for Denver and Carolina for the same period Johnson has been in charge of offenses. Evero's Carolina defenses have never ranked higher than 20th against the run. He's never had a defense rank higher than 14th in points allowed, but the Panthers were eighth in interceptions last year.

However, the Panthers' personnel can be disruptive. Here are the three worst matchup problems the Bears offense faces against Carolina in Sunday's opener.

3. DT Derrick Brown

The Bears have little experience facing the 6-foot-5, 320-pound monster defensive tackle but what little they had was in 2023. He had 10 tackles, including two for loss, and helped the Panthers stay in the game against a Bears offense that had Tyson Bagent at quarterback. Brown puts pressure on Bradbury and on either Bears guard Joe Thuney or Jonah Jackson, depend on which side he lines up.

As good as coaches and Bears players have painted Brown's abilities, the Carolina defenses he plays for have finished 18th or worse against the run every year since he came into the league in 2020. It can't really be said they lacked defensive linemen to go with Brown, as they also had Brian Burns for four of those seasons.

2. LB Devin Lloyd

The Panthers signed the former Jaguars linebacker and do have some keen insight into his abilities from offensive coordinator and former Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor.

"Super athletic, can run all over the place, come down and thump you, good in coverage," Johnson said. "He's a guy that we're certainly aware of."

Lloyd will be the brains of the outfit now. He ranked third among all linebackers in Pro Football Focus grades last year, and did everything well. Lloyd was 11th stopping the run, fifth as a pass rusher and fourth in coverage. His ability to disrupt in the middle of the line could stop the Bears' wide zone blocking scheme from developing, especially with center Garrett Bradbury in his first game playing Johnson's offense. Bradbury is in charge of recognizing the fronts and making last-second changes.

There will be a question about how they handle Lloyd because they haven't seen much of how Carolina plans to do it. Again, it's the unscouted look.

"A little bit different scheme than what he's been in in the past (with Jacksonville), and so we'll see how they want to utilize him," Johnson said. "Do they want to pressure him? Do they want to keep him in coverage? That's something that without a whole lot of tape out there, it's hard to say for sure.

"We just got to make sure that we're sound in everything that we're doing and give us a chance.”

1. OLB Jaelan Phillips

The positive for the Bears is the newly acquired edge rusher lines up over Darnell Wright in this game, based on how he has lined up in preseason. Although, it's always possible they'd move him around. Phillips has 28 sacks in five seasons and a high of 8 1/2, and had more than 16 quarterback hits in a season only once. By comparison, Bears edge Montez Sweat had four seasons with more than 16 QB hits. Still, Phillips' great strength is his speed off the ball and it would almost seem criminal if they confine him to rushing against Wright, because Braxton Jones is waiting to be attacked on the other side of the line by second-year player Princely Umanmielen, a disappointment as a rookie with 1 1/2 sacks, four QB hits and two tackles for loss.
Carolina signed Phillips to a four-year, $120 million deal. So they're expecting him to make life miserable for Caleb Williams.

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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.

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