Ben Johnson Guarantees Bears Will Beat Lions On Sunday

The season opener for the Chicago Bears was a frustrating affair. They had the game in hand in the 3rd quarter, leading 17-6. One more score probably would've put it out of reach. Then a horrible penalty call kept the door open for Minnesota, and they surged through it to prevail 27-24. One would think head coach Ben Johnson might prefer caution about any proclamations about Sunday at Ford Field. It's the Detroit Lions, his former team, and the reigning division champions. Keep it humble, right?

Not even a little bit. Johnson was asked about the implications if the Bears were to lose the game. Not only would they be 0-2, but 0-2 in the NFC North. The head coach didn't even pause to think about it. He stated such a question was ludicrous. The Bears were going to win on Sunday. Period

Name the last Bears head coach who would've had the guts to say something like that. Matt Nagy? Nope. Lovie Smith? Absolutely not. Mike Ditka? Maybe, but even he was careful about such comments. This is uncharted territory, and a window into how Johnson is wired. He doesn't care about tempting fate. Winning is the only thing that matters, and he expects to.

Ben Johnson might be the maniac the Bears need.

There is no doubt the head coach knew what he was doing. He was putting Bears players on the spot. He wrote the check. Now it's their job to cash it. Detroit will get wind of those words and immediately use them as motivation for Sunday. Ben Johnson isn't dumb. Those words were meant to show his team that this game is war. It is either victory or death. He wants that pressure. If you want to be great, you must step up to challenges. If playing the Lions alone isn't enough to get the Bears ready for battle, Johnson provided the extra incentive. Was it a dangerous thing to say? Of course. That was entirely the point. Johnson is willing to double down on his belief in this team, no matter what the outsiders say. He wants everybody to follow his lead.