Ben Johnson (59 points) ‘didn’t get into this profession trying to be mediocre’

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Minutes after scoring 59 points, Bears coach Ben Johnson wasn’t shy about his goals for his team.

“We didn’t get into this profession trying to be mediocre, average,” he said after Sunday’s 59-37 win against the Panthers. “That’s every NFL team. That is what it is. We make decisions over the course of a week, what’s best for our football team to win the game. That’s the most important thing, and that goes into everything that we do.”

The Bears’ 59 points were the third-most in the history of the franchise and the most in 46 years. It was the most Johnson had scored as a play-caller; the 2024 Lions scored 52 twice, once against the Titans and again against the Jaguars.

The 2022 Bears, by contrast, totaled 52 points over their first three games of the season. The 2023 team had 47. The 2024 team had 53.

Johnson was asked whether his attitude prompted him to go for it on fourth-and-one from his own 21 in the second quarter. He said it was not, but reiterated what he said during training camp — that the he has high, almost-impossible goals for his team. He wants to surpass the 2013 Broncos, who averaged a league-record 37.9 points per game. He wants to go undefeated. And he wants to win multiple championships.

Most other coaches in the league want to as well. What makes Johnson different, if anything, is that he says it out loud.

“We want to be the highest scoring, we want to have the most wins, we want to win Super Bowls,” he said. “We want to. Like, that’s what we do.”