HC Ben Johnson had big dreams when he took the Chicago Bears job. Coming from the Detroit Lions, the hope was that he’d work magic on Caleb Williams and help revive a franchise struggling for years. But instead, the Bears look lost. The Lions crushed Chicago 52-21. It’s only Week 2, but the scoreboard and the locker room mood are telling a harsh story.

“It’s a kick in the teeth. Nothing about that feels good,” Johnson admitted after the game. He didn’t hold back. “Unfortunately, I’ve been through a number of these over the course of my career. You know, these guys, I tell you, they’re hurt. You know, it stinks. They fought. They fought the entire game,” he said, showing how much it stung. Calling out the team, he said, “You know, when you play a good team on the road and you have turnovers and you don’t convert on fourth down and you give up explosive plays on defense, you know, it can go sideways in a hurry. And that was really the name of the game.” Johnson made sure to inform them where they went wrong as a team.

“Offensively, we were able to move the ball a little bit in the first half, and then the turnovers and the lack of fourth-down conversions bit us in the rear.” The turnovers and lack of fourth-down conversions were another aspect that Johnson wasn’t happy about. “Defense had more explosive plays than we wanted to going into the game. We knew that they were an explosive offense, and we had a plan, and we didn’t contain those playmakers very well.” Johnson admitted their defense was in tatters; they couldn’t contain the offensive plays at all.

The Bears couldn’t get out of their own way. They failed to lead at any point. Their defense crumbled, and the offense was outplayed. Ben Johnson pointed out how Jared Goff, the Lions’ QB, made life miserable. “Quarterback for them really got after us and made us hurt.” Goff went 23/28 for 334 yards and five touchdowns, leading the Lions’ scoring frenzy. His performance was a slap in the face to Johnson’s hopes of turning things around.

Chicago hired Ben Johnson from Detroit to help develop QB Caleb Williams and revitalize the franchise. For the second consecutive week, Williams showed early promise, completing 9 of 11 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter. However, Williams again struggled to maintain that level of play, resembling the inconsistent form from his uneven 2024 rookie season after being selected first overall. He finished 19 of 30 for 207 yards with two touchdown passes to Rome Odunze – tying the game in the first quarter and pulling Chicago within a touchdown in the second – but couldn’t sustain the early momentum throughout the contest.

Williams threw several off-target passes and made poor decisions under pressure, including an ill-advised downfield attempt instead of throwing the ball away in the second quarter. His mistakes contributed to Chicago’s first-half turnovers, helping create a 28-14 halftime deficit. The Bears’ offensive issues extended beyond the quarterback, with failed fourth-down conversions in both halves and eight penalties – including recurring false start problems that plagued them in Week 1. The combination of turnovers and penalties undermined any momentum from Williams’ early success.

Despite the blowout and clear struggles, Johnson refused to throw in the towel. He stayed optimistic about the future. “The biggest thing is we’re not going to hang our heads and get down on this. It’s one game. We’re going to be just fine,” he said. Johnson stressed the importance of learning from the setback. “We’ll take our corrections,” he added. “Coaching staff, players, we’re going to learn from it. And we’ll be committed to having a great week of preparation coming up this week and finding our first win of the season. That’s all we care about.”

At the end of the day, Johnson’s message was clear. He might feel helpless now, but he’s not giving up.

Insider reveals Ben Johnson’s plans for Bears

Following the devastating 52-21 loss to Detroit, speculation about Ben Johnson’s job security began immediately. However, Chicago didn’t hire him to abandon ship after two rough outings – they brought him in to transform a franchise that’s been directionless for years.

The fundamental issue remains uncertainty about the organization’s trajectory. Despite GM Ryan Poles receiving a contract extension, the roster construction appears problematic, leaving questions about whether the Bears have a coherent plan for their rebuild or if they’re simply hoping Johnson can work miracles with flawed personnel.

However, as per SportsMockery.com, some insiders think Poles doesn’t even call the shots anymore. Instead, Johnson may have quietly taken over the reins when it comes to building this team. The moves during the 2025 offseason hinted at it. Suddenly, the Bears focused heavily on offense, grabbing players they probably wouldn’t have touched under Poles alone. Benjamin Allbright from KOA Colorado added more fuel to the fire by saying Johnson isn’t going anywhere and has serious plans for the next year.

Interestingly, Johnson’s situation reminds us of what HC Dan Campbell faced with the Detroit Lions in 2021. That first season was rough—a 3-13-1 finish. But the following year, the Lions shook things up. They traded QB Matthew Stafford, cut loose key starters, and drafted game-changing talents like DE Aidan Hutchinson and OT Penei Sewell. That turnaround didn’t happen overnight, but it came with bold decisions.

Right now, Johnson is deep in evaluation mode, just like Campbell back then. He’s dissecting the roster, figuring out what stays and what goes. It’s messy, and it’s hard. But Bears fans should brace themselves. As Johnson works behind the scenes, things could get worse before they get better.