The Chicago Bears struggled on Sunday, suffering a tough 34-17 loss at home to the Detroit Lions. This defeat extended their losing streak to nine games and dropped their record to 4-11 for the season. Currently, the Bears hold the 9th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Thanks to a Cowboys win on Sunday, they are guaranteed no worse than the 10th overall pick and could potentially climb to the 5th or 7th pick if they lose their remaining two games and get some help from other teams.
A key takeaway from Sunday’s game? Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson got a front-row seat to Caleb Williams’ impressive performance. Williams completed 26 of 40 passes for 334 yards, 2 touchdowns, and posted a passer rating of 107.7, solidifying his status as a very promising young quaertback in this league.
Caleb Williams in his last 6 games:
136/211 – 65.1%
1,486 passing yards
10 TD
0 INT
101.2 passer ratingFranchise quarterback. pic.twitter.com/7LFBoo7l8a
— Dave (@dave_bfr) December 22, 2024
It could also be seen as an early audition for Johnson, who has been linked to the Bears’ potential head coaching vacancy in national media reports.
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Adding intrigue to the storyline, a comment shared on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast sparked speculation. Chicago personality and PMT co-host “Big Cat” texted Lions quarterback Jared Goff, joking about the trick play the Lions executed flawlessly against the Bears. Goff’s response?
Ben Johnson just called a trick play where he had Jahmyr Gibbs fake fall down and made Jared Goff fake stumble.
Yeah, had him the bag Chicago. This man is different. pic.twitter.com/glkh8oC9av
— Dave (@dave_bfr) December 22, 2024
“Sorry big guy. Next year is the year”
Jared Goff texting @BarstoolBigCat after the game yesterday was assault.
— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) December 23, 2024
“Sorry big guy, next year is the year.”
Did Jared Goff drop a hint about Ben Johnson’s offseason plans?
This cryptic reply has fueled rumors about Ben Johnson’s potential future with the Bears. Could Goff’s comment hint that Johnson, currently the Lions’ offensive coordinator, might join the Bears as head coach this offseason? Why else would “next year” be any different for the Bears and Lions matchups? It raises questions about what conversations might be happening behind closed doors between Johnson and Goff.
Is a new era on the horizon for the Chicago Bears? All signs continue to point towards Johnson landing in Chicago.
It was made clear to me the other day, while I was screaming about the garbage fire that is this franchise in general and this season in particular, that not everybody is attuned to a basic fact of how these things work. So let your guy on here Barry break it down. Say there are 100 pundits, “insiders,” and various other well-known people with platforms who end up saying that, oh my god, yes, the Chicago Bears definitely need to hire Ben Johnson specifically because he and he alone is the difference between winning a Super Bowl next year and… Read more »
@David. I still get my hopes up for the Bears. I’ve just learned that instead of getting mad or disappointed you just have to laugh at the incompetence. Much better for your overall well being.
One thing I’ve learned from being a Bears fan my entire life is to never get your hopes up with this team. It only sets you up for failure.
Just quietly hope that they make the right decision this time.
@Erik: Want an appropriate song for Ben Johnson? Michael Jackson/The Jackson 5 sang a fondly loving song about “Ben” and a movie about a very mindful rat named Ben. If Ben, the loved, intelligent, but mischievous, rat was an OC, he would design a play like the Fumblerooskie. So, no to: Big Ben, Gentle Ben, Ben & Jerry, Ben E. King, Jack Benny, Benny Hill, Ben Franklin, Benedict Arnold, or Benji…Perhaps the Bears can play Ben during the home games because cheezie is family, even for rats.
@Goff Stop being so greedy. Time to share the wealth of Ben Johnson to the needy, Scrooge.