Bears' Ben Johnson eyes more than just Super Bowl: 'I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever'

The Chicago Bears returned to the playoffs for the first time in five years last season. They won the NFC North for the first time since 2018. The success of Ben Johnson's inaugural season in the Windy City is still whirring louder than traffic on Lake Shore Drive.

Johnson isn't satisfied.

That's conveyed vividly in a comprehensive profile written by The Athletic's Dan Pompei that gave readers a look inside the genius and measured madness of Johnson. Pompei spent a 14-hour training camp day with the second-year head coach earlier this month and gleaned plenty, including Johnson's pursuit of greatness.

"You've got 31 other teams coming to training camp saying, 'Our goal is to win the Super Bowl,'" Johnson said, according to Pompei.

"I want more than that. I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos. I know how many points per game they scored (37.9), and I want to surpass them. I want shutouts. I want blowouts."

For reference, the Bears ranked ninth in the NFL during the 2025 campaign with 25.9 points per game. But Johnson has sniffed the offensive explosion he's dreaming of — go back to 2024, his final season as an assistant in Detroit, and the Lions' unit he coordinated averaged a league-best 33.2 points.

In order to dethrone the 2013 Broncos, Johnson's Bears will have to also surpass the 2007 New England Patriots, who put up 36.8 points per game.

That Patriots team was fueled by a seemingly unstoppable connection between Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Together, they combined for 23 touchdowns through the air. In the process, New England famously orchestrated a perfect regular season.

But like the 2013 Broncos, the 2007 Patriots also lost the Super Bowl. And the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs, who averaged 35.3 points as the Patrick Mahomes rocket ship lifted off, bowed out in the AFC championship. The 2011 Green Bay Packers team that posted 35 points per contest behind NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and went 15-1 as defending Super Bowl champions? It was bounced in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Rolling out even the most potent of offenses doesn't guarantee reaching the sport's pinnacle. Falling short with that kind of firepower wouldn't be acceptable to Johnson, who wants the franchise he's piloting to set the record for most consecutive victories, a mark of 21 that currently belongs to the 2003-04 Patriots and includes their Super Bowl win over the Carolina Panthers.

"Why can't we do that?" Johnson said, per Pompei. "There has never been an undefeated season (since teams have been playing more than 14 regular-season games).

"The moon is the Super Bowl, but we're shooting beyond that, for the stars. And I want these players to feel that each and every single day they come in."

When Johnson took the Bears' job in 2025, he entered into a partnership with quarterback Caleb Williams, a Heisman Trophy winner whom Chicago selected with the No. 1 overall pick the year prior.

Johnson admitted that when he arrived, he had his reservations about the former Oklahoma and USC star.

"Caleb is extremely coachable," Johnson told Pompei. "I wasn't sure about that when I came here."

Johnson said that, at this point, he doesn't have concerns regarding the accuracy and processing speed of Williams, nor does Johnson worry about Williams' ability to play within a structured offense.

"He showed it to me," Johnson reportedly said of the elusive and creative Williams, currently the face of the "Madden NFL" video game and at the heart of the excitement swarming the Bears.

Johnson added, per Pompei: "Now it's just a matter of time."