Ben Johnson Explains Why Bears Are 'Back to Square One' After NFL Playoff Loss to Rams

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson knows the records restart at 0-0 next season and there is no guarantee of success moving forward just because his team seems to have a bright future after exceeding expectations in his first year in charge.

"There's no building off of this, we're back to square one," he told reporters Wednesday following Sunday's NFC Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams. "We're back at the bottom again. … We gotta start from scratch and the fundamentals."

That Johnson isn't automatically assuming success is linear in the NFL should be a welcome sign for Bears fans because he understands there are a number of issues to address before the team becomes a true Super Bowl contender.

The most obvious issue is the defense, which finished 29th in the league in yards allowed, 23rd in points allowed and 22nd in sacks. 

Numbers like that are not indicative of a playoff team, but Chicago overcame them in large part because it led the NFL with 33 forced turnovers. Yet it didn't force a single turnover in either of its playoff games, underscoring how such an extreme outlier number is not exactly sustainable.

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Improving the overall defense and the pass rush in particular will go a long way toward helping the Bears take strides in Johnson's second season.

Chicago also had an incredible seven fourth-quarter comebacks this season, as quarterback Caleb Williams would often save his best for the final moments. While that made for a thrilling campaign with plenty of memorable highlights for the team and its fans, relying on such comebacks likely isn't a sustainable strategy on a year-to-year basis either.

But there is still plenty of reason for optimism.

Johnson was just a first-year head coach and led the team to its first playoff appearance since the 2020 campaign and first postseason win since the 2010 season. His overall aggressiveness and offensive acumen was a welcome change for a franchise that has long been known for its defensive stars and lack of offensive creativity.

And Williams made an obvious leap in just his second season after a handful of coaching changes, offensive line issues and overall turbulence during his rookie year. While success may not be guaranteed in the NFL, it is a safe assumption that Williams will continue to improve as he picks up more experience and continues working with an offensive coach like Johnson.

Chicago has its franchise quarterback and its head coach in place. That alone puts it in a better position than many teams around the league, and some of its top playmakers this season like Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and Kyle Monangai were all rookies.

The future is bright in Chicago, but Johnson understands it will take plenty of work to turn those expectations into reality.