Remember that side-by-side shot of Brian Flores and Ben Johnson with the call sheets over their faces from the Minnesota Vikings-Detroit Lions game last year?
Brian Flores VS. Ben Johnson
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— Albear (@ChicagoBears_mx) January 6, 2025
That was two mad scientists crafting the most diabolical plays to try to outdo each other. What made that moment so memorable is that it involved two of the most innovative offensive and defensive minds in a battle of wits to try to stake their claim for the NFC North division title.
Flores is used to being in a position of strength. Every week, he and his players devise the most diabolical, unlikely, and exotic plays based on “what if” questions. The level of collaboration and creativity between the players and coaching staff is what takes an already talented Vikings defense to the next level.
Most of the time, Flores’ crazy ideas work. When they don’t, the defense can audible to a better look based on what the offense is showing them. Either way, B-Flo almost always wins the coaching battle.
It takes another mad scientist to beat Flores’ defense. Enter Ben Johnson, a former Miami Dolphins wide receivers coach who they fired from that position in 2019 after Flores got the head coaching job in Miami. Little did he know that within five years, Johnson would rise through the ranks, becoming the NFL’s hottest head coaching candidate as Detroit’s offensive coordinator.
Every time Flores has faced him, Johnson seemingly always has the right ingredients to counter B-Flo’s tactics with diabolical trick plays and bold strategies of his own.
Since becoming the defensive coordinator of the Vikings, Flores is 0-4 against Johnson and the Detroit Lions. In those four games, Flores’ defense allowed over 30 points per game. For as dominant as Flores’ defenses have been in Minnesota, Johnson has been his kryptonite.
Still, Flores is ready for revenge on Monday Night Football.
For all the past success Johnson has had against Flores, the tides could finally be turning in Flores’ favor this season. The Chicago Bears have a lot of upside, and Vegas has them favored by 1.5 in the season opener, but they are not the juggernaut that the Detroit Lions have been the past two years. The Bears have an improved offensive line after adding Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson, but the unit ranked 24th in 2024. It’s unreasonable to expect Chicago’s offensive line to be elite like Detroit’s.
Chicago also has talent at the skill positions. D.J. Moore has been a top-20 receiver for a long time, despite a down year last season. Cole Kmet was the eighth-highest graded tight end in 2023, and Rome Odunze had 734 receiving yards as a rookie in 2024. The addition of veteran Olamide Zaccheaus and rookies Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Kyle Monangai will help round out the offense. De’Andre Swift isn’t as good as Jahmyr Gibbs, but he may be able to be an efficient lead back and take pressure off Caleb Williams now that he’s reunited with his old coach.
Still, Caleb Williams is the biggest uncertainty entering the season. Hailed as a “generational” quarterback prospect coming out of USC, Williams didn’t live up to the hype as a rookie.
In fairness, a lot of that was not his fault. Williams was a victim of Matt Eberflus’ suspect coaching and clock management. He went through two different offensive playcallers, Shane Waldron and Thomas Brown, in one season. Williams’ interior offensive line was also so lousy that he had to play hero ball and make plays out of structure, which isn’t sustainable in the NFL.
Johnson’s arrival probably should help Williams against the Vikings, and perhaps it will from a play-calling perspective. However, Williams is already in his third different offensive system entering his second season. Judging by the now-infamous practice footage where he couldn’t make a single pass during a throwing net drill, it’ll likely take some time before Caleb is truly comfortable in Johnson’s offense. I bet Brian Flores senses an opportunity with Williams learning a brand-new system.
VIDEO: #Bears QB Caleb Williams throws a temper tantrum after missing four consecutive checkdowns during a throwing net drill. pic.twitter.com/xqnh7NhLqk
— 𝑻𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 🍀 (@TylerTalksBall) August 2, 2025
For the past two years, Ben Johnson has always had the upper hand whenever he faced Brian Flores, mainly because the Lions had an elite roster. That’s no longer the case. Minnesota’s Monday Night Football game against the Bears is Flores’ best chance at revenge against the one man who has had his number up to this point.