1st-and-10: Meet the new boss ...
- Mark Potash
- Sep 9, 2025
- 9 min read
It was only one game, and the season opener at that. But for long-suffering Bears fans — even for short-suffering Bears fans — it was uncanny how the Bears' 27-24 loss to the Vikings at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football mirrored so many of the red flags that doomed every one of Ben Johnson's recent predecessors. This is not a rhetorical question: Was there anything the Bears did Monday night that was an indicator that the Ben Johnson Era will be any different?
Johnson can change that narrative in six days, when we get the first indication of how well he corrects errors and whips his team into shape after a disappointing performance — and poetically against his old coach and old team, the Lions at Ford Field. But the opening loss, while hardly a disaster, was almost stunning in its irony — the coach who is supposed to be so different from Matt Eberflus, Matt Nagy, John Fox and Marc Trestman, looked like all of them wrapped into one — a greatest hits of Bears flaws since Lovie Smith was fired.
The hot start followed by an offense that fizzled (Matt Nagy at least was victimized by one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Aaron Rodgers in his opening loss to the Packers in 2018. Johnson lost to J.J. McCarthy in his NFL debut — with McCarthy recovering from a disastrous pick-6 like a well-coached young quarterback is expected to do.
Twelve penalties for 127 yards — the kind of lack of discipline that haunted virtually all of Johnson's predecessors. The Bears had four false starts against the Vikings (right tackle Darnell Wright, wide receiver DJ Moore and two by right guard Jonah Jackson). That's three more in one game than Trestman's offense had in its first nine games in 2013.
Quarterback Caleb Williams getting worse as the pressure mounted. Williams completed his first 10 passes for 86 yards — despite missing opportunities for big plays downfield. But just when it seemed like The Ben Johnson Effect was taking hold, he reverted to his inconsistent rookie year form. After completing his first 10 passes, Williams completed 11-of-25 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. While the Vikings were outscoring the Bears 21-7 in the second half, Williams was 6-of-14 for 59 yards. The flurry at the end after the Bears fell behind 27-17 2:53 left in the fourth quarter — 3-for-5 for 45 yards and a one-yard touchdown to Rome Odunze — also was a movie Bears fans have seen before.
Outplayed and presumably out-coached badly in the second half. The Bears outgained the Vikings 172-80 in the first half. The Vikings outgained the Bears 169-81 in the first 27:07 of the second half until the Bears rallied in desperation after falling behind 27-17 with 2:53 to play. With the Lions last year, Johnson's offense led the NFL with 145 offensive points in the third quarter — generally an indication of halftime adjustments. The Bears' offense was shut out in the third quarter against the Vikings — the only points scored by the defense on Nahshon Wright's 74-yard interception return that gave the Bears a 17-6 lead. Kevin O'Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores were decisive winners Monday night.
The too-familiar discombobulation. Leading 17-6 late in the third quarter, the Bears turned a first-and-10 at the Vikings 24-yard line into a third-and-30 from the Vikings 44 with a holding penalty on Darnell Wright and an intentional grounding penalty on Williams. After a 12-yard pass to Olamide Zaccheaus, Cairo Santos was right right on a 50-yard field goal.
Predictability. Many of the quick, short pass plays that were so effective for Johnson with the Lions looked like they were called by the ghosts of Bears offensive coordinators past. On a third-and-19 from the Bears' 16-yard-line in the fourth quarter with the Bears protecting a 17-12 lead, Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel read the Bears' play as Odunze was in motion to the right — and nearly intercepted Williams quick pass to Odunze for what would have been a pick-6. It fell incomplete and he Bears punted.
The failed replay challenge that cost the Bears a time out they desperately needed in the final minute. Johnson challenged a possible fumble by Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson when he was hit by Bears linebacker Noah Sewell. But hitting the ball out when a player's knee is touching the ground is not a fumble.
A questionable coaching decision that cost the Bears the two-minute-warning time out that could have given them 56 seconds to drive for a field goal instead of nine. On the kickoff after Caleb Williams' one-yard touchdown pass to Odunze cut the Vikings' lead to 27-24 with 2:02 left, Johnson elected to have Santos attempt to kick the ball out of the end zone for an automatic touchback without any time off the clock. Santos, with a notably weaker leg than most NFL kickers, kicked the ball seven yards deep, with Vikings kick returner Ty Chandler returning to the Vikings 26 and taking seven seconds off the clock to 1:55 and the two-minute warning. Had Santos kicked the ball out of bounds, the penalty would have put the ball at the Vikings 40, but without any time off the clock.
All in all, it was just one game, but one game the confirmed what was becoming apparent throughout training camp and the preseason — Johnson's job in Chicago is going to be a little tougher than the one he did with the Lions. Not impossible. Just tougher. Ben Johnson is still Ben Johnson. But the Bears are still the Bears.
2. There's Always Something Dept.: Bears fans were lamenting a phantom holding call on Wright that nullified D'Andre Swift's 12-yard run to the Vikings' 12-yard line with the Bears leading 17-6 as the key play of the game. Maybe Week 1 is too early to expect the Bears to overcome that adversity. It was first-and-20 at the Vikings 34 — not an insurmountable obstacle. Good quarterbacks, even developing good quarterbacks do it all the time by ratcheting up their focus, their offense's focus and utilizing good play-calling to get back on their feet.
Instead, the Bears imploded in a three-phase breakdown. Williams threw a bad incompletion to Cole Kmet; Williams, under pressure, threw the ball away to avoid a sack and was called for intentional grounding, Santos missed the 50-yard field goal, and the defense allowed a six-play, 60-yard touchdown drive that started the Vikings' rally. That's the opposite of complementary football and oddly typical of breakdowns in previous regimes. The bad call didn't beat the Bears. The Bears' response to the bad call beat the Bears.
3. Johnson had much better luck getting out of the first-and-20 hole with the Lions. In his first season running that offense in 2022, the Lions converted 6-of-7 first-and-20 situations into first downs — including a 28-yard pass from Jared Goff to Tom Kennedy and an 81-yard pass play from Goff to T.J. Hockenson.
Last year, the Lions converted seven-of-eight first-and-20 situations, including four touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was on the 41-yard hook-and-ladder from Amon-Ra St. Brown to Jameson Williams against the 49ers. Another was a 66-yard touchdown pass from Goff to St. Brown against the Bills. Overall, the Lions were 14-of-20 (70%) converting first-and-20 into first downs or touchdowns with Johnson as offensive coordinator.
4. The Bears' 17 offensive points and 317 total yards (5.0 per play) were well shy of Johnson's debut as offensive coordinator for the Lions in 2022. Those Lions scored 35 points and gained 386 yards (5.8 per play) against the Eagles (who were on their way to the Super Bowl and a top-10 finish in scoring defense and total defense).
And while Johnson had a veteran quarterback in Jared Goff to work with, the 2022 Lions' success on the ground is a more fair comparison. Swift had 15 carries for 144 yards, including a 50-yard gain, and a touchdown in the 2022 opener. Swift had 17 carries for 53 yards and no touchdowns against the Vikings — the only running back with a rushing carry.
The offensive line, as anticipated, might be the biggest test of Johnson's first season with the Bears. The 2022 Lions had 28 carries for 181 yards (6.5 average) and three touchdowns in Week 1. The Bears had 26 carries for 119 yards (4.6) and one touchdown against the Vikings (including Williams' six carries for 68 yards and 9.7 rushing average).
5. While Caleb Williams, the offensive line and the offense as a whole figure to improve under Johnson, Santos' struggles in Week 1 might be the biggest red flag. NFL kickers were 14-of-15 from 50-yards or longer in. Week 1 — including the Vikings Will Reichard's 59-yarder in the second quarter — when Santos was wide right on that 50-yard attempt in the third quarter.
And — just his luck — his inability to kick the ball out of the end zone to prevent the clock from running was yet another indicator that his leg strength is an issue that can't be compensated for with accuracy inside of 50 yards. In 2024, NFL kickers made 72.3% of field goal attempts from 50-59 yards. Then again, even Santos was 8-of-9 (88.9%) last season, but with a long kick of 54 yards. That's just not good enough in today's NFL.
6. Credit Where It's Due Dept.: Left tackle Braxton Jones acquitted himself well in the opener after a four-player battle for the starting job. As expected, having Joe Thuney next to him was a factor. And like everything else, good and bad, there's a long way to go. But off all the red flags that sprung up against the Vikings, Jones was not one of them.
For what it's worth, 11 of the 13 offensive linemen taken in the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft started Week 1, including three left tackles — the Patriots' Will Campbell (No. 4 overall), the Saints' Kelvin Banks (No. 9, one spot before the Bears) and the Chiefs' Josh Simmons (No. 32). The only non-starters were the Packers' Anthony Belton (No. 54 overall, a back-up swing tackle) and Bears second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo (No. 56 overall, a back-up to Darnell Wright at right tackle).
It might still turn out that the Bears should have prioritized a dedicated left tackle in the draft, but so far, that' not the case. Rookie tight end Colston Loveland, whom the Bears took with the No. 10 overall pick, had two receptions for eight yards in his NFL debut.
7. Johnson received well-deserved plaudits for his candor and ability to articulate messages and his approach that sounded so good and so right when he had not lost a game. Now we'll get a more real assessment after a loss that wasn't just disappointing, but unlike almost any game he ever coached as the Lions' offensive coordinator. If he says this is just another game, the honeymoon is over!
Adding to the intrigue is that it's against the Lions, who as it stands today miss him as much as he misses them. The Lions are determined to prove that Johnson wasn't the only reason for their success, but they flopped just as much in John Morton's first game as Johnson's successor as Johnson did against the Vikings — a 27-13 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Lions, who scored 68 offensive touchdowns with Johnson as OC last season (and 177 in three seasons — with 57 in 2023 and 52 in 2022), were held to two field goals until a garbage-time touchdown in the final minute. It would have been the first time the Lions have not scored an offensive touchdown since a 24-6 loss to the Cowboys in 2022 — Johnson's sixth game as offensive coordinator.
It was a bit of bad timing against the Packers at Lambeau in Micah Parson's Packers debut. And maybe bad timing for the Bears to get them on the rebound. But that's why Johnson gets paid the big bucks. It's about as much intrigue as you can get in Week 2.
8. The Vikings showed Johnson a little respect when they declined a holding penalty on running back Kyle Monangai in the second quarter — opting for a third-and-10 at the Bears 35 instead of pushing the Bears back 10 yards for a second-and-20 at the 25. That hasn't happened on a Bears holding penalty since 2023. It's usually a good bet to push any Bears offense back.
9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week — Niners tight end Jake Tonges, filling in for injured starter George Kittle, caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy — and a nifty catch at that — with 1:34 to play to give the Niners a 17-13 come-from-behind victory over the Seahawks.
Tonges, who played 16 offensive snaps in four games for the Bears in 2022 (with one target and no receptions), had three receptions for 15 yards against the Seahawks — his first three receptions in the NFL.
Special mention: Steelers quarterback Justin Fields threw a touchdown pass and rushed for two touchdowns in a 34-32 loss to the Jets. Fields completed 16-of-22 passes for 218 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for a 119.1 passer rating. He also rushed 12 times for 48 yards, including touchdowns of one yard and two yards.
10. Bear-ometer — 8-9: at Lions (L); vs. Cowboys (W); at Raiders (W); at Commanders (L); vs. Saints (W); at Ravens (L); at Bengals (L); vs. Giants (W); at Vikings (L); vs. Steelers (W); at Eagles (L); at Packers (L); vs. Browns (W); vs. Packers (W); at 49ers (L); vs. Lions (W).
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