The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions had a heated game on Sunday, September 14, at Ford Field, and it sure wasn’t what the Bears had hoped to see out of their first matchup against Detroit with Ben Johnson as coach. The final spread was 52-21, and the Lions pretty much socked it to Johnson and the Bears.
But, that’s all in the past, and now, the Bears are focused on trying to avoid starting the season 0-3. They have a solid team and a coach who’s considered one of the best offensive-minded coaches in the league, so they can certainly come back from this difficult start to the season.
Next up, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who’s looking to improve his numbers, and the rest of the team are facing the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, September 21. The Cowboys are 1-1, and the Bears are 0-2, so this game really matters to both franchises.
There’s been some criticism of the Bears, of course, with their start to the season, but Johnson is standing up for his team and players. He signaled out one young player as a promising piece of the team’s future.
Ben Johnson Praises Bears Wide Receiver
The Chicago Bears are seeing some great things from wide receiver Rome Odunze. Even though the Bears lost to the Lions, he had the top game of his career, making seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Johnson knows that he has a winner in Odunze. He complimented him during a conference on Friday, September 19, and also threw a little dig at those who are too into the “production.”
“His approach is really good,” Johnson said of Odunze. “He’s willing to do whatever it takes right now, and I think there are a number of guys like that where we’re just looking for a win, and it doesn’t matter the production, what the stats sheet says.”
Odunoze had a good rookie year in 2024, but it wasn’t stellar, and this season, he’s inching towards that elite category. He has three touchdowns this season.
“He just wants to go out, and if it’s in the run game, he’ll help out in pass pro, he did that a little bit last week,” Johnson said on Friday. “But physical nature, he wants to help set the tone for what we want to be about on offense, and he wants to do it the right way.”
Game Predictions for Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys
It’s a new weekend of NFL football, and ESPN has released their game predictions for Week 3. Their piece, out Friday, September 19, features analytics writer Seth Walder making “a bold prediction for each matchup, and fantasy analyst Eric Moody shares fantasy football intel.” Plus, they “also have Football Power Index (FPI) matchup quality ratings (out of 100) and game projections, and three analysts — Pamela Maldonado, Moody and Walder — give us final score picks for every game.”
For the Bears vs. Cowboys matchup, Walder makes the bold prediction that “the Bears will score 30-plus points.” He adds that the Bears’ play designs are working. “Against Dallas, I could see it coming together for some offensive fireworks,” he says.
Here’s to what will hopefully be the game that gives the Bears their first win of the 2025-26 season.
Ben Johnson Claps Back at Chicago Bears Doubters