The Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson to win football games. That is the primary goal. However, the fastest track towards that goal is fixing the offense. Chicago hasn't fielded a true top 10 offense since 2013. No organization is worse at gaining yards or scoring points in the NFL. If you're looking for evidence as to why the Bears have just one winning season in the past decade, it starts there. Johnson knows he must get the problems smoothed over if he plans to achieve his goals of competing for championships.
There are plenty of things to clean up. Chicago was 25th in rushing last season. A more reliable ground attack can do wonders for efficiency. They had the fifth-most offensive penalties in the league. Self-inflicted wounds make everything harder. For Johnson, there is one area he knows will probably take the longest to fix. No, it's not Caleb Williams' pocket movement or pre-snap reads. It is the offense's execution in the red zone. He told Kevin Fishbain and others that mastering such a thing takes time.
The team drills and 7-on-7 reps were focused on the red zone and near the goal line, the area Johnson said “takes the longest as an offense to get really good at the red-zone passing game.”
“It’s tighter windows throughout, so we emphasize different types of throws,” Johnson said. “Front pylon, back pylon. Front line. High-back five on the back line throws. And so there’s some of those that you’re working in a team setting or a 7-on-7 setting and you’re just trying to find an open receiver and fit it in, but then when you’re in routes vs. air you can really hone in on the detail of where you want to put that ball and the placement of that ball.”
The numbers back up Ben Johnson.
In 2024, the Bears were tied for dead last in red zone scoring attempts per game with 2.2 and 27th in red zone scores per game at 1.4. Fun fact: Detroit, Johnson's former team, was #1 in both categories. Part of winning in the NFL is scoring when you're supposed to. Something is seriously wrong if you get within 20 yards of the end zone and can't come away with at least three points every time. Williams had 20 touchdowns last season. Unfortunately, seven of them came from beyond 20 yards. That works out to 65% of his touchdowns going in the red zone. Jayden Daniels, on the other hand, was at 76%.
Taking advantage of opportunities is how you turn games in your favor. That is what Ben Johnson has to get cleaned up.
