Bears’ Ben Johnson already being talked about for big NFL honor originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears are picking up right where they left off. This team is 3-1, and while they’re not at the top, they’re at least No. 2 in the NFC North, only behind the surprising success of the Minnesota Vikings.
Last year, the Bears finished atop the NFC North and easily advanced to the playoffs. They didn’t make it past the Los Angeles Rams, but Johnson and company showed that last season wasn’t a mirage. It was a sign of things to come.
Now, Johnson is already being talked about for a major NFL honor. He has some competition, though.
Ben Johnson ranks No. 2 in ESPN’s early Coach of the Year rankings
On Thursday, Bill Barnwell of ESPN released a feature with his NFL quarter-season awards following Week 4. They’re also a sign of where things could go. In it, he nearly gives Johnson the Coach of the Year award. Johnson comes in at No. 2, only behind Klint Kubiak of the Las Vegas Raiders. What’s impressive is that Johnson is winning games without franchise quarterback Caleb Williams healthy.
“Johnson has won games with three different quarterbacks through the first month of the season, in part because the Bears have been able to lean heavily into the run,” he notes. “They are running the ball at the fourth-highest rate of any offense, with a 47.6% designed rush rate, and they rank ninth in EPA per play on those carries over the first month.”
He adds that “watching Chicago pick apart the Panthers with a near-perfect day from Caleb Williams in Week 1 reminds us how high the ceiling can be with a high-end playmaker under center. The loss to the Vikings is the only blemish on Johnson’s record.”