After Caleb Williams' Injury, NFL Execs Don't Hold Back on Ben Johnson's 'Schtick' and Bears Future

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson elicited some polarizing opinions after his team mustered just three points in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

"The Bears are entering into this world where it's like Ben Johnson is constantly out over his skis and they have come through," one NFL executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando. "Well, now, guess what? They got smacked in the face and scored three points. What does that mean?"

A different exec, on the other hand, didn't read much into Week 2.

"Ben's schtick is what it is, and it works for him," this second exec said. "He wanted 60 points last week. He wants 38 a game (for the season). I'd be much more concerned if they had three points in a dome."

▶️ Full Vikings-Bears Recap

05:59

Chicago's offense fell back to earth in a big way after dropping 59 points on the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Caleb Williams' hamstring injury looms large and undoubtedly played a role in Sunday's outcome. The Bears weren't moving the ball when they had their starting quarterback, though.

Williams finished 15-of-26 for 138 yards and an interception, and he was sacked three times.

Backup Tyson Bagent nearly engineered a game-winning drive. Chicago got inside the red zone with 31 seconds remaining but stalled out at the 12-yard line. The Vikings sacked Bagent on the game's final play.

"They drove with a minute left from their own 35 to the Minnesota 12 with their backup quarterback and no timeouts, and got three throws to the end zone," the second executive interviewed by Sando said. "A lot of teams don't do that with their starters."

That executive went on to strike a more optimistic tone about a Bagent-led offense since that could mean a bigger emphasis on running backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.

The first exec sees the next few weeks, depending on how long Williams is sidelined, as a real test for Johnson.

"Their defense isn't very good, so it's just fascinating to me where they go mentally," they said. "To me, it's like Ben Johnson has been thinking, 'The more I double down, the better it is. I'm going to throw this s--t out there, and I'll live up to it. I want to lead the league in points scored.' Which they still may. Whatever. The s--t is hard to do."

Chicago hosts the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, so Johnson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor will have a challenge in terms of drawing up the right game plan.

Taking down a fellow NFC playoff contender will ease a lot of nerves in the Windy City.