Ben Johnson, the Bears, and a Playoff Plot Twist No One Saw Coming
When Ben Johnson left Detroit to take the head coaching job in Chicago, reactions were... mixed, to say the least. Lions fans, understandably frustrated, brushed it off.
They believed the team’s offensive engine would keep humming without him. Bears fans, on the other hand, were buzzing with optimism, hoping Johnson could bring some long-lost stability and creativity to their sideline.
Fast forward to Week 16, and the twist couldn’t have been scripted better.
After Chicago knocked off Green Bay, the Bears were one step away from clinching a playoff berth. The catch?
They needed help from the most unlikely of sources: Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. And in a moment of pure NFL irony, that help arrived.
Rodgers and the Steelers took down the Lions - Johnson’s old squad - and with that, the Bears officially punched their ticket to the postseason.
Let’s pause on that for a second. The coach Detroit fans said they’d be fine without? He just led a division rival to the playoffs... thanks to Detroit’s own loss.
That’s not just a full-circle moment - that’s poetic.
This isn’t just about a playoff berth, either. Johnson’s Bears aren’t limping into the postseason.
They’ve got a top-five offense, a defense that leads the league in takeaways, and a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams who’s showing flashes of franchise-defining potential. The Bears aren’t just ahead of schedule - they’re ahead of expectations.
Meanwhile, Detroit’s situation has flipped. After the loss to Pittsburgh, the Lions now find themselves in a precarious position.
Their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread, with odds in the single digits. For a team that once looked like a rising NFC power, it’s a steep and sudden fall.
Yes, the Lions still boast a top-tier offense. But that hasn’t been enough to steady the ship. And while Dan Campbell remains one of the league’s most passionate leaders, it’s clear the departure of Johnson - and other key staffers - has left a bigger hole than Detroit anticipated.
Back in Chicago, Johnson is building something real. He’s not just calling plays - he’s changing the culture.
The Bears have gone from a team hoping to hit .500 to a legitimate playoff squad in Year 1 under a new regime. That kind of turnaround doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when a coach walks in with a clear vision, builds a strong staff, and gets buy-in from top to bottom.
Now, with the postseason ahead, the Bears are trending up - and fast. Johnson has put himself firmly in the Coach of the Year conversation, right alongside names like Mike Vrabel. And while awards are nice, the real victory is what’s happening on the field.
The Bears are in. The Lions are on the outside looking in.
And the coach at the center of it all? He’s proving that his impact in Detroit wasn’t just a product of good talent - it was a product of great coaching.
In a league built on narratives, this one just wrote itself.