Ben Johnson gets the edge in rematch vs. Brian Flores

The juiciest Ben Johnson matchup with an NFC North rival coach won’t happen until Dec. 7, when the Bears’ head coach faces the guy he loved to beat as the Lions’ offensive coordinator — Packers coach Matt LaFleur. But until then, Johnson vs. Brian Flores will do. 

Johnson actually had even better success against Flores’ Vikings defense as the Lions’ offensive coordinator than he did against LaFleur. The Lions were 4-0 in their matchups in 2023 and 2024, with Johnson’s offense consistently productive — 30, 30, 31 and 31 points and 389, 381, 391 and 394 total yards. 

We know enough about Johnson by now to figure he took just as much joy out of that accomplishment as he did helping Dan Campbell go 5-1 against LaFleur and the Packers in 2022-24. It just doesn’t have the same impact at an introductory press conference. 

The Johnson-Flores battle resumes Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium with a bit of a twist — for the first time, Johnson has to re-gain the upper hand after Flores’ defense paved the way for J.J. McCarthy to rally the Vikings to a  27-24 victory at Soldier Field in Week 1. 

Johnson was at a disadvantage in that matchup — it was his first game as a head coach, with an offense that was heavily leaning on its training wheels. (With the Lions, Johnson faced the Vikings in Week 16 and 18 in 2023 — his second season in that offense — and Week 7 off a bye and Week 18 in 2024.)

This time it was Flores’ defense that reeled in Johnson’s offense. The Bears scored 10 points and gained 172 yards in the first half. But were shut out and held to 79 yards on 24 plays in the second half until a desperation touchdown drive in the final 2:53 after the Vikings took a 27-17 lead. 

Though they’re rooted in opposite sides of the ball, Johnson and Flores have a lot in common. Both are headstrong, aggressive guys who thrive on being unpredictable. In that season opening game,  the Bears were bracing for a barrage of blitzes that Flores is known for — especially against a second-year quarterback and an offense playing in its first game together. But it didn’t happen. The Vikings, who blitz on 50% of their defensive snaps, were at 34% against the Bears in Week 1. Caleb Williams was sacked twice. 

“Each week is a little different. He has a different flavor,” Johnson said. “He played us a certain way Week 1 that was a little bit different than what maybe you would have seen the past couple of years, and you look at the past couple of weeks, he changes it up. A lot of it is based on who he has at his disposal. He does as good of a job as anybody making sure he pus his guys in a good spot and keep the opposing play caller guessing.” 

Be that as it may, 10 weeks later momentum favors Johnson this time. The Bears are seventh in the NFL in scoring. The Lions are 18th in points allowed, with their defense allowing 21, 37, 24 and 27 points in their last four games against the Eagles, Chargers, Lions and Ravens (with Lamar Jackson) in four games following their bye. 

Then again, this will be the best scoring defense the Bears have faced since Week 3 against the Lions. So momentum might not matter. It’s up to Johnson to win his battle and make the difference. 

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