The Chicago Bears will host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional round at Soldier Field. This playoff matchup will feature two of the top offensive play-callers in the NFL in Ben Johnson and Sean McVay.
McVay's Rams finished as the No. 1 passing team in the NFL and first in total yards. Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford led the league in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46).
The Bears finished as the No. 3 rushing offense in the NFL, averaging 144.5 rushing yards per game. Second-year quarterback Caleb Williams took major strides, finishing with 3,942 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Ben Johnson and Sean McVay had some words about each other
During Johnson's press conference, the Bears’ head coach was asked about McVay and if he is considered the gold standard across the league.
“I think it's hard to gauge who's best and who's worst when it comes to coaching sometimes,” Johnson said. “But, there's no question about it. He is on the upper echelon. He does a phenomenal job. He has ever since he’s gotten to L.A. All of his teams are really well prepared. There's no doubt that he's super sharp in the offensive side, but I think how he does it as a head coach, bringing all three phases together is really critical to their success. I think he does a great job, knows how to speak to the team with the pulse of the team and get the most out of them. There's a reason why they're in it every year since he's been there.”
As expected, Johnson provided positive comments on McVay and the job he has done with the Rams since becoming head coach. And that praise was echoed by McVay when talking about Johnson. The Rams’ head coach provided a 284-word response on what stands out about Johnson's system and the rapport he has with Williams.
"I think he does a great job,” McVay said. “I've studied him really closely from when he took over and started doing it in Detroit. I think the guys that do the best job are the ones that you can see there's a true understanding of what defenses are doing and an intent to try to be able to manipulate a lot of the rules and the coaching points and to really try to attack your front mechanics, your coverage contours, understand some of the percentages of what you're doing situationally, and then being able to maximize his player skill sets.”
Asked Sean McVay what stands out about Bears HC Ben Johnson's system and rapport with QB Caleb Williams (given McVay's own system and rapport with Matthew Stafford).
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) January 12, 2026
McVay said he's studied Johnson "really closely" going back to Johnson's time with the Lions, and praised both… pic.twitter.com/X78Sl8gYuQ
Read more: Ben Johnson isn't going to overlook Matthew Stafford before Bears-Rams showdown
It's evident that both coaches have a high-level of respect for each other. In the NFC Divisional Round game, they will have the opportunity to display their offensive schemes against each other, aiming to score as many points as possible to help their respective teams advance to the NFC Championship.