It looks like Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson won’t play starting quarterback games this week, as he’s already getting pumped about facing the Packers. And after back-to-back dominant wins with backup quarterbacks, Johnson has stamped his case as the NFL’s best coach.

No, it’s not a done deal. And yes, there’s still plenty of season left to prove things. But right now the Bears are 3-1 and in second place in the NFC North. And they’ve done it with Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent winning games.

In both instances, the Bears were in control of the games.

Bears HC Ben Johnson earning a strong reputation

Part of the reason the Bears have succeeded — perhaps the biggest reason — is because they can run the football. The Bears have the NFL’s top offense with 429 yards per game. Of that, 196.3 a contest is running the ball, which, of course, also ranks No. 1.

There’s a level of confidence in the players that Johnson has instilled. Guard Jonah Jackson described it as a defensive gut punch, according to The Athletic.

“You can feel the air getting sucked out of the defense after a while — just the wearing and tearing on them,” Jackson said. “They’re trying to get guys in and out. But it wasn’t working to their favor. That’s a good feeling.”

And backup running back Kyle Monangai said Johnson’s commitment to running the football makes a difference.

“We all know we’re going to run the football,” Monangai said. “We know it. The other team knows it. The people watching at home and everyone in the stadium know it. But that just goes to show … that we put the time into still sticking to what we know we’re going to do. And we just say, ‘You’ve got to come stop us.’”

Johnson is leaning into his two-headed backfield of Monangai and D’Andre Swift, according to chicagobears.com.

“He ran hard, really hard,” Johnson said of Monangia. “He found some creases, turned on the gas, and threw a really good stiff arm out there. When you see a guy running like that, as a play caller you just want to keep feeding him. It elevates everybody blocking for him and gives the whole unit a spark, which we really needed.”

It is interesting because Johnson came to the Bears with No. 1 pick Caleb Williams already in the house. Williams had a decent first season, but there was talk of him not living up to expectations.

Enter Johnson, and the Bears soared along with Williams. In year two, Williams threw for 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. And while Johnson only has two games' worth of evidence in 2026, Johnson’s value as a play-caller is clearly helping his quarterback get better.

It’s interesting to note that without Williams, the Bears are averaging more yards per game without Williams (433.5) than with him (380.6). That has everything to do with Johnson manufacturing game plans that work with backup quarterbacks.

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And it starts on the ground. Johnson still installs the running game every week, just like he did with the Lions, according to ESPN.

“I haven't been around a playcaller, let alone a head coach, that installs his own running game,” Bears tight end Cole Kmet said. “He has everybody in the room — receivers, tight ends, backs, quarterbacks, linemen. We're all together as he installs.”

Johnson said play-calling is a flow thing for him, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“You just get in a flow of what you think is going to help us move the ball,” Johnson said after the win over the Jets. “I’m always hungry and hunting big plays, and sometimes they’re there, sometimes they’re not, but I didn’t feel a whole lot of negative plays today.

“I don’t know if we had the super-explosives like we would’ve wanted, but there weren’t a whole lot of third-and-longs that I had to dial up. It was just interesting how that all played out.”

What does Ben Johnson have to prove this year?

Everybody knows the NFL is a tough league. You can win all of the regular season games you want, but if you don’t add postseason wins, observers won’t look at your regular season success.

A case in point is Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. He’s 47-25 in the regular season, including this year’s 4-0 start. However, O’Connell is 0-2 in the postseason. Meanwhile, Johnson has just one postseason win. But it matters. People already look at him in a different light than O’Connell.

But if Johnson really belongs near the top, or at the top, of the NFL coaching elite, he must do more in this year’s postseason. First, of course, the Bears have to get there. If they don’t get overwhelmed by injuries, they should have a very strong chance of that. Then, Johnson probably needs to get his team into the NFC Championship Game. At least. Maybe the Super Bowl.

Yes, that’s an extremely tough ask. But this is the NFL. And if you’re going to be considered the NFL’s best coach, you have to get things done in the playoffs.