Ben Johnson isn't hiding his ambitions heading into year 2 in Chicago. In an exclusive with The Athletic's Dan Pompei, the Bears head coach said flat out that he wants his offense to be the best that's ever taken the field — not top-5, not top-3, the actual all-time record holder.
Chicago HC Ben Johnson wants the Bears to have the “highest-scoring offense ever”, he told @danpompei of @TheAthletic. https://t.co/MGYWFD0rrM
That's Adam Schefter relaying the news Wednesday, and it's the kind of quote that gets attention fast. Johnson isn't a guy who came out of nowhere, either — he spent 3 seasons as Detroit's offensive coordinator, turned that Lions offense into one of the league's scariest units, and was named AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024 before Chicago hired him away in January 2025. His rookie year running the show, the Bears won the NFC North and racked up 12 total wins. So when he talks big, people at least listen.
The number he's chasing is specific: 37.9 points per game, the mark set by the 2013 Denver Broncos behind Peyton Manning's MVP season. That Denver offense scored an NFL-record 606 points, threw 55 touchdown passes, and led the league in scoring by 36% over the next-closest team. It's one of the most untouchable offensive seasons in NFL history — and Johnson name-checked it as the bar.
Yahoo Fantasy's Josh & Hayden picked up on the same target Wednesday night, framing it as exactly the kind of number fantasy analysts will now measure Chicago against all season. It's a fair question — going from a team that ranked 9th in scoring in 2025 to the best offense ever recorded is an enormous jump, even with a full offseason under Johnson's system and Caleb Williams entering year 2 as the No. 1 pick trying to take that next step.
Big talk is nothing new for coaches in year 1 of a rebuild, but Johnson didn't stop at scoring — he's reportedly also got his eye on the NFL's record for consecutive wins, 21 straight, a mark the 2003-04 Patriots have held since their Super Bowl run over Carolina. Whether any of it is realistic won't matter much until the games start. But Johnson's already told the league exactly what he's aiming for, and now Chicago gets to try and back it up.