Ben Johnson on poor defense against Lions, Jaylon Johnson' injury

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 2 hours ago

CHICAGO - When head coach Ben Johnson imagined his return to Detroit, it probably did not look anything like what actually happened on the field Sunday. Despite how Chicago performed, Johnson knows what this team is truly capable of, based on the glimpses he saw during training camp.

However, the Bears must start executing consistently if they are to win games this year.

“We’ve seen that type of football, that brand of football, that we want to be about. We saw it throughout training camp. We didn’t see it enough (Sunday) for it to be up to our standard and that’s really the way the game went,” Johnson said. “We got outgained by a significant number of yards and really, it came down to, I think, 10 explosive plays for over 300 yards and that’s just really not what we want to be about. We came into the game with a plan and how we wanted to contain these explosive athletes and we just didn’t do a good enough job at the end of the day … I think it starts with how we play, less so about the scheme or anything like that. But, our play style really needs to stand out in a more positive fashion going forward.”

Giving up 52 points is embarrassing. There were a combination of factors contributing to that - the lack of pressure on Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff, blown coverages leading to explosive downfield plays, failing to stop the run.

Even though there were several things that went wrong, Johnson remains confident in the defense going forward.

“We did not have any sacks. We didn’t get any quarterback hits or pressures, not to the amount that we wanted to. Really step number one for us going into this game was trying to affect the quarterback. We came up short in that regard and we know with that particular player that when his pocket is clean that he plays at a really high level and he’s a very accurate player,” Johnson said. “So, we’re going to have to try to find a way, whether it’s within the four that we’re rushing to generate more pressure, condense the pocket and collapse it from the inside or whether that means we need to pressure a little bit more. We’ll find a way. I’ve got faith in the unit. I got faith in the defensive staff to find a way to get a little bit more pressure on the quarterback.”

Unfortunately for Chicago, they may be shorthanded going into their next game on Sun. Sept. 21 against the Dallas Cowboys (3:25 p.m. / FOX). Linebacker T.J. Edwards and cornerback Kyler Gordon have yet to play this season and are considered “week-to-week” according to Johnson. It appears the Bears will be without All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson, although Ben Johnson said the team needs to gather more information.

However, he also acknowledged the Bears defense is missing a big playmaker when Jaylon Johnson is not on the field.

“We’re still gathering some information on that. It’s a new injury. It’s not related to what he had before. So, we’re still trying to gather a little bit more information before we’ll know for sure,” Johnson said. “What he showed (Sunday) in the limited reps that he did get was the ability to close on the football and I know he had a pass break up, which was a big play for us. That was going to be another explosive gain. So, he was able to get his hand on the ball. But, I do see sticky coverage. I see recoverability. He certainly can anticipate and he knows what’s coming the majority of the time. He does a great job with the film studies. So, he’s a good player. He’s a Pro Bowl player for a reason and he’s a guy that you want out there on the field for you, particularly when you give up that many passing yards.”

Update: Johnson's groin injury is season-ending.