Will Bears Respond to Ben Johnson's Harsh Reality Check Against Cowboys?

Henry McKenna

NFL Reporter

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus probably didn’t have a smile on his face after his defense allowed 37 points last weekend. But maybe watching Chicago Bears film in preparation for this week’s game cheered him up, if ever so slightly.

The organization fired him midseason last year and brought in the hottest name in coaching, Ben Johnson, an offensive guru. But not even Johnson has been able to turn the Bears around in a hurry. They’re 0-2, worse than where Eberflus’ team was at this time last year.

In fact, Caleb Williams and Chicago’s offense don’t look substantially better. And the defense looks substantially worse than Eberflus’ unit. Johnson’s former team, the Detroit Lions, pulverized the Bears 51-21 in Week 2.

The sky isn’t falling any harder than it normally does in Chicago. But it’s not showing any signs of letting up either, not even after an offseason of upheaval, heavy spending and genuine hope.

The Chicago defense looks on during a long afternoon in Detroit. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

As the Bears prepare for the Cowboys (4:25 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX and the FOX Sports app), I get the sense it has been a sobering week for Johnson. I get that sense because the coach laid down a carefully timed challenge on Tuesday.

“We’re going to find out this week at practice who wants to practice hard and who wants to be more involved in the game plan,” Johnson told reporters.

In coach-speak, that means (at least to me) that no one’s job is safe. That it’s time for the depth players and the scout team to step up and challenge the starters. Because the starters aren’t getting it done.

One day later, Johnson appeared underwhelmed.

“I think our practice habits are yet to reflect the championship-caliber team,” he said on Wednesday.

In coach-speak, that means no one stepped up.

So if his players won’t elevate to Johnson’s standard, he appears to be ready to meet the team where it’s at. This week, Johnson said his coaches and players are working on “the little things that you learn in youth league football.”

Yup, the Bears aren’t just going back to Day 1 of their NFL careers. They’re going back to the fundamentals they learned on Day 1 of their football careers.

“How do we properly block? How do we catch the ball? How do we block after the catch, ball security and things like that,” Johnson said. He added: “We should be going to the football, finishing hard. We talk about it all the time with the offensive players that our fundamentals, our finish and our technique, they need to show up in walk-through, they need to show up on the practice field. That’s how it shows up on game day.”

When the execution is this bad, teams cannot simply go back to the drawing board for new plays or a new scheme. The problem is the players, not the plays, particularly on defense. But Johnson can’t outright say that. Perhaps that’s why he is more focused on addressing a cultural change (around practice habits and mentality).

“It starts with how we play — less so about the scheme or anything like that,” he said. “But our play style needs to stand out in a more positive fashion going forward.”

‘Trouble brewing’ for the Bears after Ben Johnson’s practice comments

The Bears are 15th in offensive yards per game (328) and points per game (22.5). They are last in the league, however, in points allowed per game (39.5) and fifth-worst in yards allowed per game (382.5). Johnson has expressed trust in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, but the Chicago defense won’t get much relief, with the Cowboys averaging 30 points per game behind Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and a newly rejuvenated Javonte Williams.

If there’s good news for Johnson, it’s that his young quarterback showed signs of improvement and competence last week. And the Dallas defense is fifth-worst in points allowed at 30.5 per game. On Sunday, Caleb Williams & Co. will have the opportunity to show up in a big way.

Johnson might not have been positive about many things this week. But he did seem optimistic about Williams.

“I did see significant growth [in Week 2],” Johnson said. “It’s not perfect yet. There’s still a number of plays where our eyes aren’t quite in the right position or we’re holding onto the ball just a tick longer than what we’re coaching.

“But I did see tremendous growth in terms of going through the progression. There were a few times there where we had to get to number three or four in the read, and he was trusting his feet and his footwork and was able to get there. I did think he got better from Week 1 to Week 2. I’m encouraged by what I saw and I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to see another leap here this week.”

It’s just one week of progress. It’s just one position. It’s just one player.

But it’s something. In fact, it’s the most important thing for an NFL team — which is that the young QB is showing signs of development. Because if Johnson can get Williams to meet the expectations that landed him as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, then that would mean changing Williams’ mentality, practice habits and in-game execution.

It’s a heck of a lot easier to change a team’s culture when the leader — the quarterback — is at the fore. If Johnson gets Williams to change and improve, then the rest of the roster will likely follow.

Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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