Ben Johnson vs. Brian Flores: The 'mental war' behind Sunday's chess match in Vikings-Bears
The Ben Johnson-Brian Flores chess match should be another fascinating battle of wits, even if neither of them truly knows what to expect.
The intense mental battle between Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been brewing for three years, with six head-to-head meetings since 2023. Johnson's Bears have won five of those matchups, all by 30 points or more when Johnson was with Detroit. Last season, Flores' Vikings held Johnson's offense to 24 and 19 points, with the Vikings winning one game in Chicago and losing the other by two points at home.
Sunday's showdown at Soldier Field will be a test of their respective tactics, as both coaches have changed their strategies each time they faced each other. Flores' defense is not a simple blitzing machine, but rather a master of uncertainty, causing QBs to constantly second-guess their reads. In contrast, Johnson's offense is built around forcing defenses to account for multiple problems, rather than guessing what's coming.
Both coaches are dynamic and unpredictable, making Sunday's game a true chess match between two brilliant minds.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
