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Bears’ Ben Johnson drops extremely relatable Madden admission

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints
By Dan Fappiano, ClutchPoints | Last updated Nov 21, 2025 2:50 PM ET

When Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson goes into his bag of tricks, it oftentimes looks like he’s calling plays straight out of Madden. Turns out he was a big fan of the franchise as he fell in love with football.

Even more, Johnson is a big fan of playing franchise mode. His Madden strategy may sound similar to how you may have played the game, via Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.

“I always liked taking the bad teams and doing franchise mode and try and build them up from them,” Johnson said.

#Bears HC Ben Johnson was asked in he played Madden growing up:

"I always liked taking the bad teams and doing Franchise mode and try to build them up from there."

One of us. pic.twitter.com/oEezCSyvo6

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 21, 2025

When Johnson was hired by the Bears, he essentially got the opportunity to live out his Madden days in real life. Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020 and hasn’t won a postseason game since 2010. Johnson’s work was cut out for him upon arrival to the Windy City.

So far, the head coach has aced his debut. Heading into Week 12, the Bears lead the NFC North with their 7-3 record. They have a tough schedule down the stretch, which will prove how strong the team truly is. However, Johnson’s addition has sparked notable improvements across the team.

Namely, Chicago has become much more explosive on offense. During the 2024 season, the Bears ranked dead last in total offense, averaging 284.6 yards per game. Now, Johnson has his team ranked fourth, averaging 373.6 YPG.

The head coach likely went through plenty of quarterbacks in his Madden playthroughs. Now he has Caleb Williams to work with. If their partnership continues to flourish, Johnson and the Bears will continue winning plenty of games.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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