Ben Johnson, Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Ben Johnson, Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson won with his backup quarterback for the first time as an NFL head coach. He faced criticism before the game that he could not win games without star quarterbacks, considering he was the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator for number one overall pick Jared Goff and the Chicago Bears head coach for number one overall pick Caleb Williams. So, when he won with Case Keenum, who was drafted in the seventh round, he used it as a small chance to take a dig at the Lions’ quarterback.
“Well, I’ve got a little history with that, of calling plays for someone not so mobile,” joked Johnson about Goff. “Now I don’t have history with someone who is not a number one pick, though, so that was apparently a big deal.”
The jab was not so much a shot at Goff, but more of a shot at people who claimed that Johnson can not win with a certain type of quarterback. Johnson was making it clear that he can win with a mobile quarterback and a pocket quarterback. He can also win with a top pick in the draft and a late-round sleeper.
It was clear that Johnson heard the chatter, and while Goff caught a friendly stray, it was not a direct shot at the quarterback he once had immense success with.
Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson Takes Friendly Jab at Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff
Head coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears looks on prior to the game
GettyTroy Aikman ripped Bears coach Ben Johnson over a fourth-and-goal decision on Monday Night Football, prompting a strong reaction from fans.
Even Goff will tell you that he is not the most mobile quarterback. Over his 11-year career, he has 611 rushing yards. His career high for yards in a season was 108. He was a pure pocket quarterback. Still, he was great with Johnson calling plays.
From 2022 through 2025, the Lions were 36-15 with Goff starting and Johnson calling the plays. Goff completed 68% of his passes during that time. He also had 91 touchdowns to 36 interceptions. Lastly, he averaged 7.9 yards per attempt. All numbers are beyond exceptional. So, Johnson has no ill will towards Goff. However, he is a different quarterback than Williams.
Bears Have a Different Style at Quarterback
Williams had 388 rushing yards in his first season with Johnson. So, Johnson completely changed the style of offense, and Williams responded. Williams looked like he was going to rush for even more yards in 2026, too.
He was up from 4.5 attempts per game to over seven. He also averaged 53.5 yards per game on the ground. His career-high before that was 28.8 yards per game. The Bears were leaning into his rushing ability.
Johnson has shown that he can switch things up, as he did not run the same plays for Williams or Goff that he did for Keenum.
Lions fans who are mad about losing Johnson will not like seeing the Bears’ latest win. Still, Johnson and the Bears head into Week 4 at 2-1. That is the same record that Campbell and his Lions have. It will be a fun battle in the NFC North.