Ben Johnson, Brian Flores history adds another layer to Bears-Vikings battle

Brian Flores has been the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator since 2023. He has plenty of history facing off against Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, dating back to his time with the Detroit Lions. In Week 2, the pair of masterminds will do battle once more in a high intensity NFC North battle.

After watching the Bears score 59 points in Week 1, Flores has certainly been hammering tape to find ways to stop Chicago. He also has his experience with Johnson in the past, which he will use to help make adjustments throughout, via Alec Lewis of the Athletic.

“Any type of offense that’s out there — ground and pound, run and shoot, RPO, 4 by 1 — he’s got it,” Flores said. “So what are we getting this week? It’s hard to know. A lot of the game is adjustments. If they do this, we want to do this. We’re going to have our own game plan, and it’s the same on his end with him asking, ‘What are they doing? How are we going to counteract it?’”

In 2025, the Bears and Vikings split their season series with Minnesota taking the first matchup 27-24 before Chicago got revenge 19-17. How Flores handles the Bears’ offense, and in turn Johnson the Vikings’ defense, will determine who comes out on top in Week 2.

Bears’ Ben Johnson has historical upper hand

When the Vikings beat the Bears in 2025, it was the first time Flores came out victorious against Johnson. While 2026 will bring new challenges, Ben Solak of ESPN believes the head coach’s success against Flores will pay massive dividends in Week 2.

“But Johnson knows Flores well,” Solak wrote. “He called offense against him as the coordinator of the Lions — twice in 2023, twice in 2024 — then picked up another two games in 2025 as the head coach of the Bears.”

“Across six matchups, Johnson’s team is 5-1 — the only loss was last season’s opener and Williams’ first start in Johnson’s offense,” he continued. “Over those six games, Johnson’s offense doesn’t look like a 59-point monster … but it’s clearly better than the average offense against the marauding Vikings coordinator.”

Against the Packers, Flores sent the blitz more than any other team in the NFL. Quarterback Caleb Williams and company must be aware of that tendency. Johnson has entered the fierce battle with Flores before. He’s hoping his track record speaks for itself.

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