3 ways Ben Johnson aced his Bears interview on Sunday

Any employer worth their salt can tell you that while it's helpful to read the resumes of your job candidates, nothing beats an old-fashioned face-to-face meeting. If all goes well, the Chicago Bears will get one of those with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson this offseason, but on Sunday, they got the next best thing, as Johnson gave them a live demonstration of what he brings to the table.

For those Bears fans that haven't yet woken up from Thanksgiving dinner, you probably missed the news bulletin that the Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus on Black Friday. I can assure you, it was a surprise to all of us, as never before had the Bears fired a head coach during the season. As unprecedented as it was though, Eberflus' continued late-game blunders became impossible to ignore.

Impressively (or is it depressively?), the Bears have somehow gotten even worse since giving Eberflus his walking papers. They've lost to a beaten-up 49ers team by 25 and a Vikings team that has perfected the art of winning close games ... by 18. On Sunday, the Bears had a chance for revenge against the same Lions team that beat them on Thanksgiving, and this time they had home field advantage at frigid Soldier Field.

This was only the second outdoor game the Lions have had to play this season, and their first in cold weather, but it didn't matter. There's a reason the Lions are now 13-2 and the favorite to earn the 1-seed in the NFC, and the Bears have now lost nine straight and are ready for vacation, as DJ Moore so eloquently put it earlier in the week.

Moore was right when he implied that it would be up to the front office to figure it out, and with Caleb Williams entering his second season in 2025, it's imperative that for once, this franchise makes the right head coaching hire.

Enter Johnson, the hottest coordinator (potentially) on the market. Johnson likely could have had his choice of head coach openings last offseason after directing a Lions offense that ranked fifth in the NFL in points per game, but he chose instead to remain on Dan Campbell's staff to chase a Super Bowl ring. This season, the Lions have the number one scoring offense in the league, and the Super Bowl is a realistic possibility. Johnson's stock has only risen, so it looks like he made the right choice.

Bears fans are clamoring for an offensive head coach in the same vein as Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Matt LaFleur to straighten out this offense, accelerate Caleb Williams' development and be able to hang with the three offensive juggernauts in the NFC North. Johnson already seemed like the best candidate out there, but after Sunday's game, there can be no doubt. The Bears need to get their man, and here are three reasons why.

Being a Bear has not been fun for a while, but Johnson's players seem to be having the time of their lives

"Stumblebum." Usually when Soldier Field ticket-holders hear that old-timey insult, it calls to mind the procession of head-coaching failures that have roamed the sidelines where George Halas and Mike Ditka once found success.

After Sunday's game, it has a different meaning, because now it's the name of this play:

This play was so good, I can't even be angry at the Bears for falling for it. When Sam LaPorta caught the touchdown, I leapt off my couch in anguish that my team could give up a touchdown on a busted play, but all I could do was stare admiringly as it became clear that this was all part of the plan.

Johnson apparently designed this play after seeing the Packers score against the Bears by doing something similar, except they weren't faking the busted-ness. As Emmanuel Acho breaks down above, this is just genius stuff.

For a long time, the Chiefs were the most fun team in the NFL. Though Kansas City is still winning, it definitely appears to be more of a grind for Patrick Mahomes and the gang. I haven't seen them try the old ring-around-the-rosie "Snow Globe" play in a while, for instance. Detroit has inherited that mantle, with passes to offensive linemen, passes by offensive linemen and all manner of inventive silliness that works more often than not.

Jared Goff was like a kid in a candy store on the sideline after this play, yukking it up with everyone within earshot. As a Bear fan, I want my team to have fun like that.

Jared Goff was discarded by the Rams, but has become an MVP candidate under Johnson's tutelage

Speaking of Goff, when he was packaged in the trade that landed the Rams Matthew Stafford (and won them a Super Bowl), it seemed like the beginning of the end for the former number one pick.

Not only has Goff not faded into obscurity, he's become one of the best and most reliable quarterbacks in the NFL. Goff deserves a ton of credit for becoming such an outstanding player, but so too does Johnson.

Goff was ... fine in his first season in the Motor City, with 3,245 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Johnson took over at offensive coordinator in Goff's second season in Detroit, and that's exactly when Goff leveled up.

Goff's first two seasons with Johnson calling the plays were magnificent: over 9,000 yards through the air, 59 touchdowns, 19 picks, and most importantly, a 21-13 record and an NFC Championship Game appearance.

Goff has continued to improve this year. His 71.4 completion percentage is easily a career high, and he has two more games to throw three more touchdowns and break his personal best in that category, too. He made easy work of the Bears on Sunday, throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over.

Caleb Williams has endured some typical rookie bumps, but there's no doubt that he's as special as advertised despite being subjected to one of the most dysfunctional coaching situations in the league. With 2,937 yards, 17 touchdowns and five picks with two games to go, he's on pace for almost identical numbers to Goff's first season with the Lions, except Goff did that in his sixth year in the league, and Williams, of course, is in his rookie year. Imagine what he could do with a quarterback whisperer like Johnson guiding him.

No David Montgomery, no problem for the Lions running game

Johnson was without one of his most productive weapons on Sunday, but you would have never known it by how effectively his offense moved the ball. We've already gone over how great Goff was, but one of the hallmarks of Detroit's offense this season is how balanced it has been. The Lions are second in the NFL in passing yards, sixth in rushing yards and second in total yards.

Goff has Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams to throw to, but he's also been able to lean on the league's best 1-2 running punch. Football fans of a certain age will remember Brandon Jacobs and Tiki Barber of the Giants, or Thunder and Lightning, as they were known. The Lions have their own version in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, only they like to go by Sonic and Knuckles.

The SEGA-inspired duo lost one of its members when Montgomery tore his MCL last week (though he may have a chance at returning this season), but against the Bears, the running game was no worse for wear. Gibbs carried the ball 23 times for 109 yards and a touchdown, and he also had four catches for 45 yards.

Johnson has made a name for himself for his creativity, and for his ability to recognize his players' talents and put them in the best situations to use them. That's something that Bears fans are unfamiliar with, as the coaching staff has continually tried to fit round pegs into square holes.

Gibbs is one of the most electric runners in the game, and Johnson kept finding ways to get him outside the tackles to use his speed. He also had a touchdown called back by replay review, but Johnson then gave it to him three times in a row so that he could score for real.

The Bears and their fans have been all-too-ready to give excuses as to why the team has been so disappointing. Injuries on the O-line, bad calls by the refs, you name it, we've heard it all. Bears fans should want a coach that doesn't need excuses. When he loses one of his top players, he kicks ass anyway. Let's go get Ben Johnson.