It took three games, but the Chicago Bears finally got the Ben Johnson experience. Against the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson drew up a flea-flicker to bamboozle the defense. It was a relatively simple play compared to what Johnson did with the Detroit Lions, but it still was a thing of beauty.
The funny thing about the play, though, is what inspired Johnson to try the play. Former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is currently the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. After the game, Johnson said that they felt comfortable running the flea flicker after watching some film… which included some film from Eberflus' time coaching Chicago.
#Bears HC Ben Johnson said they felt comfortable dialing up Sunday’s flea-flicker vs. the #Cowboys after film study — including Bears defensive tape from when Matt Eberflus (now Dallas DC) was their head coach.
Incredible. https://t.co/9f35kV4CLT pic.twitter.com/nkE7YjFFWx
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 22, 2025
The flea-flicker almost failed at first: running back D'Andre Swift's pitch to QB Caleb Williams was a bit too high, and almost left the QB with no time to throw. Thankfully, Johnson's play worked so well that Williams had just enough time to jump up for the ball, load up, and throw a beautiful 65+ yard rocket to Luther Burden III for the touchdown.
That touchdown was one of four Williams touchdowns against the Cowboys. Johnson drew up a perfect game plan against the Bears, exploiting the holes in their coverage. It also helped that Williams was virtually untouched in the pocket. The Bears' quarterback also played well within the system, hitting his progressions better than he did in the previous two games.
There are still some issues with the offense: their run game is still a bit sub-par compared to Johnson's previous offenses. However, with a revitalized defense that held Dak Prescott to just 14 points, the Bears' offense has more breathing room to work through their mistakes. Hopefully, this game will be the start of the Bears' offense starting to find its mojo under Johnson.