Ben Johnson's NFC North Record Is Ugly. The Overreaction Is Worse.

Ben Johnson holds a 2-6 record against NFC North opponents with a minus-66 point differential. However, two blowout losses — a 52-21 defeat in Detroit and a 31-7 loss in Green Bay — account for 55 of those 66 points, and four of the other six divisional games were decided by seven points or fewer.

Against non-division opponents, Johnson has led the Bears to a 12-2 record while averaging 30.5 points and 410 yards per game with a plus-24 turnover differential. Those numbers drop significantly in divisional play, where Chicago averages just 16.6 points and 313 yards per game.

Yes, Johnson knocked the Green Bay Packers out of the playoffs in his first season as Bears head coach. Critics pointing to his regular-season struggles against Green Bay have largely overlooked that postseason victory.

Ben Johnson guided the Bears to three wins using three different quarterbacks through the first four weeks of the season. One of those starts came from 38-year-old Case Keenum, who hadn't started a game in 1,009 days when he led Chicago to a primetime win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

In his first season, Ben Johnson won the NFC North division title and led the Bears to a playoff victory. The organization had spent years struggling before Johnson quickly turned things around.