Matt Eberflus has to go. I doubt there are many people reading this who think that this isn’t a given at this point, but here you won’t find any discussion about whether it needs to happen or any deep dive into why. There are many reasons that have already been laid out in detail by most Bears fans and media.

The really interesting question at this point is who will replace Eberflus. I’m also not talking about who will take over the interim head coaching duties if he’s fired midway through the season. At 4-8 and in fourth place in the NFC North, the Bears have a great chance of making the playoffs, so attention now really turns to the offseason and who will lead this team going forward.

And on Thursday, the Bears got a front-row seat to find out who is right for the job. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has to be a top priority candidate for the Bears.

You hate to admit it when things are going so well for your rival, but the Bears can’t let their pride get in the way of finding the right job. And Johnson is the right person.

Defense is not an issue in Chicago. Eric Williams is doing a great job and the Bears have a top-10 scoring defense that ranks as the fifth-best unit in the NFL according to PFF. The key to making this team a contender is developing Caleb Williams and getting this offense to its full potential. And who better to do that than Johnson?

The year before he took over as the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, Detroit ranked 25th in PFF’s offensive grade in 2021. In its first season in 2022, they jumped to 8th before moving up to 2nd in 2023 and 2nd again in 2024.

Before the season, no one doubted how much talent this Bears offense had. Shane Waldron obviously played a big role in holding them back, but Eberflus certainly isn’t helping. And even if Thomas Brown continues as offensive coordinator, an offensive-minded head coach like Johnson is exactly what Chicago needs to take things to the next level.

And Johnson led his offense to a 23-point performance against a great Bears defense, right after one of their starting wide receivers was placed on IR and while another was busted, showing Bears fans everything they see had to.

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