Author: alaskaadmin

Ben Johnson may look like a generic coach model Madden uses when it can’t secure the real guy’s likeness rights, but the Bears head coach has become one of the most interesting characters in just over a year. There’s a lot to like about the 40-year-old. He calls a high-octane offense, delivers viral locker-room speeches weekly, and already has multiple catchphrases going. On top of all that, Johnson says things in press conferences you don’t often hear from other coaches. Like when he told reporters that he’d like to set the league’s scoring record this season. “I want more than [the Super Bowl],” he said in August. “I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos. I know how many points per game they scored, and I want to surpass them.” As Johnson later said, every offense aims to be the best and score a bunch of points, but other coaches don’t name-check the team record holders or have the record point totals committed to memory. The single-season record is 37.6 points per game, by the way. And Chicago is way ahead of that pace after dropping 59 points in a season-opening win over the Panthers. Now that we’ve seen this offense in action, Johnson’s goal doesn’t seem so far-fetched. If the Bears can keep it up against a Vikings defense coached by Brian Flores, we can put that 2013 Denver team on official notice. To break the scoring record, Chicago will have to be adaptable, and no defense forces an offense to adapt quite like Minnesota’s. Flores is known for running an aggressive, blitzing defense that shape-shifts every week to attack a specific opponent. You know pressure is coming, but you don’t know when or where. “That scheme is one of a kind,” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said this week at his weekly press conference. “It’s a game-plan defense. [Flores] is gonna game plan all the way up to the tee – from first snap to last snap … coach called it ‘mental warfare’ when you go up against him.” We’re still days away from the game, and you can already see the effect that mental warfare is having on Johnson. When asked how to avoid overthinking things against Flores, the Bears coach laughed and said, “I’m already down that path.” Johnson seems to be a serial overthinker, which is partly why he’s such a good coach – and maybe the perfect coach if your goal is to score the most points in history. While he’s great at drawing up cool plays, it’s his understanding of situational football that makes him an exceptional play-caller. Johnson understands more than most that it’s not just about what plays you’re calling; it’s about when you’re calling them. Johnson reminds me of a great baseball hitter who works into favorable counts and then goes into attack mode. Second-and-short situations are his version of a 3-1 count in baseball. He knows he’s got a few more pitches to work with (third and fourth down), so he uses this one to swing for the fences. Last season, the Bears had the league’s highest pass rate in second-and-short situations and produced the most explosive plays, per Next Gen Stats. Chicago’s explosive play rate jumped to a ridiculous 25% on second-and-short, so you can see why Johnson seems obsessed with getting in that down and distance. He has a reputation for aggressive play-calling, but he knows how to pick his spots. The Bears have a lot of ways to get to those spots, as Flores noted this week. “I mean any type of offense that’s out there – whether it’s ground and pound, run-and-shoot, RPO, or 4-by-1 – he’s got it. So, what are we getting week-to-week? It’s hard to know, so a lot of the game is [about] adjustments.” Johnson’s adaptability is another key to Chicago’s offensive success. It’s why concerns about Williams’ schematic fit were always laughable. Some assumed Johnson wanted – or needed – his quarterback to operate like Jared Goff, who Johnson worked with in Detroit, for it to work. There was a thought that if Williams intended to play backyard football, Johnson would look for a new quarterback. Some even wondered if backup Tyson Bagent was a better option to start after Williams got off to a slow start in 2025. That all seems silly now, and not just because of how well Williams is playing. Johnson seems to be encouraging his quarterback to lean into that backyard style more often. Williams abandoned the pocket even more quickly in his sophomore season. Then, in the 2026 opener against the Panthers, he scrambled on nearly a fifth of his dropbacks and scored twice. Johnson realizes those scrambles are another source of big plays and is trying to weaponize them for the Bears offense. Johnson told the Chicago Sun-Times that he did an offseason study of the 120 dropbacks in 2025 when Williams vacated the pocket. He found that only 40% produced positive results and shared that information with his quarterback. But that 40% included a lot of big plays, so Johnson’s message wasn’t, Hey, you need to stop doing this. It was, We need to do this even better. As a coach, you’re dedicated to teaching the playbook, [but] we don’t want to fully shut that [ability] off,” Johnson said in August. “We see opportunity there. It’s not that we want to take those 120 plays down; I want to see that 40% go up.” Johnson said the Bears would spend time coaching their receivers on how to approach scramble-drill situations, and it showed up on tape in Week 1. Here’s a snapshot from one of the scramble touchdowns. Look at those receivers blocking downfield! Rome Odunze is smothering his guy. Luther Burden III is screening his. Kalif Raymond is doing anything he can to get in front of the linebacker trying to close in on Williams. That effort can turn a solid scramble into a touchdown. Williams broke the pocket 13 times against the Panthers. Those plays generated 12.5 expected points added, leading the league by a full eight points, and a success rate of 61%, far higher than the 40% mark from last year, according to Johnson’s calculations. “[On the scrambles], we had a lot more production than maybe we would’ve had in the past,” Johnson said after the win in Carolina. “Hopefully, we can bring this dynamic with us each and every week. He and I went over the tape, [and] there’s a couple of times where we don’t have the best call on for the defensive coverage, and our quarterback is able to make this thing right for us … we think it’s really, really dangerous for our offense.” Against the Bears, you have to defend two plays: the play call, designed by one of the league’s brightest offensive minds, and then the second play created by one of its most dynamic quarterbacks. Then there’s also the matter of slowing down running back DeAndre Swift, Odunze and Burden at receiver and tight end Colston Loveland. There is a lot to plan for when facing this Bears offense. “Anything that could potentially give a defense problems, they do,” Flores said this week. “And I think this being year two [in the system], they understand exactly what they’re trying to get done, so there’s better execution – at least through one game” That’s important to remember. It’s only been one game, and this league has a way of humbling teams quickly. Remember the 2023 Dolphins that hung 70 on the Broncos? That offense was averaging over 43 points per game and was on pace to shatter Denver’s scoring record. A week later, Miami was embarrassed by the Bills and never reached that high again. These Bears seem more well-rounded than that Miami offense that was supposed to revolutionize the game. Chicago has a coach who knows how to adapt to different situations, a quarterback who can follow the script or ad-lib his own lines, a road-grating offensive line, and a skill group that has fully bought into the coach’s vision. This year’s Bears team is seemingly built for anything a defense can throw at it throughout the season. With the Vikings coming to Chicago, the Bears are facing a defense designed to test that theory.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Some of this weekend’s best games include a few top-25 matchups. Will favorite Texas Tech put away Houston in a huge Friday night game on FOX? Will LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt be healthy enough to play against Ole Miss? Here are the five best games fans and bettors should watch this weekend with odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Spread: Texas Tech -7.5Moneyline: Texas Tech -305; Houston +245O/U: 53.5 What To Know: While the Red Raiders are 2-0 straight up (SU), they’re 0-2 against the spread (ATS). Now, TTU hosts Houston on Friday night on FOX. Like Texas Tech, the Cougars are undefeated, but they’re 1-1 ATS. Both squads already have a win against Oregon State on their résumés. Texas Tech defeated the Beavers 35-24; Houston beat them 33-20. Spread: Ohio State -52.5Moneyline: N/AO/U: 59.5 What To Know: It looked like Ohio State would get past Texas in Week 2, but the favored Longhorns rallied with an impressive comeback that sent the Buckeyes home with a blemish. But even with that loss, FOX Sports betting analyst Sammy P still has Ohio State as his highest-rated team in the country. Now, the Buckeyes get a chance to prove exactly that in Week 3 against a Kent State team that lost its first game 57-0 to South Carolina but won its second against Wofford 36-15. Spread: Louisville -1.5 Moneyline: Louisville -120; SMU +100O/U: 59.5 What To Know: Louisville dropped its first game of the season with a loss to Ole Miss. But the Cardinals put up an incredible fight, losing a close 41-38 battle. SMU hasn’t dropped a game yet, but the Mustangs have faced weaker teams in Florida State and UC Davis. SMU is 1-0-1 ATS and Louisville is 2-0 in that spot. When it comes to quarterback play, Louisville QB Lincoln Kienholz has 639 passing yards on the season; SMU’s Kevin Jennings has 767. Spread: Notre Dame -29.5Moneyline: Notre Dame -4500; Michigan State +1700O/U: 52.5 What To Know: Notre Dame’s two wins so far have come against Wisconsin and Rice. In the Fighting Irish’s game against Wisconsin, however, the Badgers kept it close for the first half, with ND leading 13-10. But the Irish dominated the second half and ultimately got the 41-13 win. Week 2 was a cakewalk for Notre Dame, as it rolled Rice 52-0. Michigan State, though, is also undefeated. Sparty got two straight-up Ws against Toledo and Eastern Michigan. And bettors eyeing the 29.5-point spread might want to consider that Michigan State is 1-0-1 ATS so far this season. Spread: LSU -3Moneyline: LSU -155; Ole Miss +130O/U: 58.5 What To Know: FOX Sports betting analyst Patrick Everson chatted with a bookmaker who explained that bettors love LSU and that he’s expecting a lot of action on the Tigers in this huge matchup. And of course, one of the biggest storylines revolves around Lane Kiffin facing his old team for the first time since his unceremonious departure from Oxford. Another storyline bettors might want to consider is LSU QB Sam Leavitt’s health and availability. Both teams have perfect records coming into this weekend. LSU rolled over Clemson and Louisiana Tech; Ole Miss got wins over Louisville and Charlotte.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports