The Chicago Bears are entering desperation mode for Sunday's showdown with the Dallas Cowboys, but head coach Ben Johnson looks cool, calm, and collected about it.
This matchup is different from other games the Bears have to prep for since the defensive coordinator on the other side, Matt Eberflus, knows a thing or two about Chicago. Eberflus had a failed run as the head coach of the Bears for the last three seasons, totaling a 14-32 record and an early exit last year from the job.
Dallas believes they will have the advantage in Week 3 since Eberflus knows a lot of the players on the other side. One of them is quarterback Caleb Williams, who had 3,500 yards and 20 touchdowns to six interceptions under Eberflus. Not everyone within the Bears organization feels that way.
Johnson isn't worried about Eberflus knowing Williams' tendencies
During his presser on Wednesday, Johnson was asked about Eberflus knowing Williams well and how he plays. Johnson wasn't concerned about that.
"Yeah, well, we've got guys in the building that know how his mind works. So we have some information on just schematically how he liked to approach my offense in general, and his feelings on Caleb. I feel like we know what he knows and we'll be just fine there."
Ben Johnson, when asked about Matt Eberflus knowing Caleb Williams' tendencies:
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) September 17, 2025
"Yeah, well, we've got guys in the building that know how his mind works. So we have some information on just schematically how he liked to approach my offense in general and his feelings on Caleb. I…
People should remember that Johnson had been coaching against Eberflus over the last three years when he was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Johnson had a ton of success against Eberflus as his Lions offense scored an average of 28.8 points per game, with Detroit winning five of those six meetings.
The Cowboys are going through some issues on defense in their secondary due to injuries. Cornerback DaRon Bland's status for the game on Sunday is unknown with his foot injury, so there are some opportunities to open up the offense for the Bears.
Read more: Ben Johnson just answered the Colston Loveland question every fan's been asking
Even if the Cowboys feel they got the advantage, Johnson always has some things up his sleeves to throw them off.