Chicago Bears first year head coach Ben Johnson was the darling of the league over the past couple of years as offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. His innovative offensive philosophy and propensity for running trick plays is what helped catapult the Lions’ to becoming one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. But that doesn’t mean the same approach will automatically work in Chicago.
Bears are stumbling on offense
In Sundays Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, coach Johnson had a moment where he attempted to mimic a play he’d made famous while in Detroit called “stumblebum.” On this play the quarterback and running back are supposed to act like they’ve mishandled the hand off to draw the defenses attention to the backfield. Once the ball is retrieved by the QB, he then passes the ball downfield catching an unsuspecting secondary off guard for a big gain. Well, when Johnson called this play against the Raiders it failed miserably.
Did Ben Johnson call the "fake stumble" again???
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 28, 2025
"Did they try to make something happen there?" - @AdamArchuleta pic.twitter.com/uUWeQCtnmz
This botched play highlighted the biggest issue for the Bears even in winning the game. They aren’t the Lions. From the QB position down to the offensive line, the Bears just don’t match up with what Johnson had at his disposal in Detroit. Despite having a nice receiving corps in Chicago with D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze who leads the team in receptions and receiving yards and Luther Burden III. Overall, the Bears’ offense isn’t on the same level as the Lions’ especially over the past two years with Johnson.
Still a long way to go in Chicago
While Chicago did improve to 2-2 on Sunday by beating Las Vegas, the offense didn’t exactly light up the world. Caleb Williams passed for 212 yards one touchdown and one interception while completing just over 54 percent of his passes. Yes, a win is a win but if Johnson is going to turn this franchise into a perennial threat, they’ll need to figure out an identity unique to what they want to do in Chicago. Copy and paste rarely work even if you pluck the coach from the team you’re copying.
Trick plays are okay on occasion but it may be time for Johnson to tweak the “stumblebum” call or come up with something else in its place. Of course, he’s going to take much of what he leaned on in Detroit to use in Chicago but eventually he’ll want this Bears offense and team overall to develop an identity of its own. Falling back on old gimmick plays too often certainly won’t get the job done if the Bears are going to compete in their division and the NFC as a whole.