Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is a leader of men. He's a motivator. He's a talent developer. But above all, he's a tactician.
Johnson has quickly risen through the NFL ranks to become one of the best offensive play callers in football. He consistently gives his players an advantage by putting defenses in a bind with creative play designs. His calls are so dynamic, in fact, that at least one play each week deserves a full breakdown.
That's exactly why we're here. Each week, we'll dive deep into one of Johnson's play designs that shifted the course of the Bears' game. There were plenty to choose from in Week 8. Chicago throttled the Seattle Seahawks, controlling the game from start to finish. Johnson's play-calling mastery was placed front and center in the primetime matchup.
A 23-yard completion in the second quarter stands out, though. Johnson put a creative spin on a classic concept to free Luther Burden III up for an explosive gain.
Ben Johnson's best call of Bears' Week 8 win unlocked Luther Burden III
When you boil it down, there are surprisingly few concepts that make up the majority of NFL offenses. The "Dagger" concept is one of the staples of Johnson's passing game. The basic design is simple; An inside receiver runs a vertical route, while another receiver runs a deep in-breaker behind him.
It manipulates the safety to follow the inside receiver deep, opening space for the in-breaker. Johnson typically runs this look multiple times a game, but the creativity is found in how he sets it up.
In this case, he uses one of his most common formations, with two receivers to the left and a tight end and receiver to the right in a condensed look.
He then brings Rome Odunze in motion, creating a bunch on the left. Odunze releases vertically and outside at the snap. Jahdae Walker runs a deep crosser, and Burden III runs a deep in-breaker behind him. Burden III is left wide open, and Caleb Williams hits him right out of his break for a big gain.
Ben Johnson used a creative version of the “Dagger” concept to create an explosive against the Seahawks pic.twitter.com/PP0ZVghGUG
— Michael Haney (@michaelhaneyNFL) November 3, 2026
The beauty of this play isn't just contained to one snap, though. Johnson set this play up with a bubble screen to Burden III out of nearly the same formation on Chicago's first drive of the game.
With that play in mind, Seahawks defenders had to be ready to keep Bears receivers from getting the outside edge. But when Odunze released vertically, the cornerback had to drop off to stick with him. Walker's deep crosser carried the middle safety away, leaving acres of space for Burden III over the middle.
The shifty receiver used the space created by the call to pick up a few extra yards after the catch, taking the Bears across midfield with a huge chunk gain.
The 23-yard completion to Burden III led to a field goal to put the Bears up 10-3 in the second quarter. They never looked back, cruising to a 34-17 victory. Johnson was dialed in from start to finish in this one, and this play was just one example of his offensive mastery.
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