Ben Johnson takes responsibility for loss against Vikings

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 4 hours ago

CHICAGO - Monday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings was surely not how Ben Johnson wanted to start his career as a head coach. Chicago blew an 11-point lead, which is the biggest blown lead in a season-opener at home in franchise history.

That is definitely not the kind of history Johnson wanted to make right off the bat.

“Obviously, disappointing way to start the season there for us. Have a 17-6 lead and then see it go the way it did there in the fourth quarter. We said going into week one that the team that would make the least number of mistakes would win the game, and unfortunately, we were on the wrong end of that. We made too many there late in the game, myself included,” Johnson said. “There were a number of things that I could have done better, a number of things that a number of guys could have done better. When you look down at the stat sheet and see 12 penalties, that’s got to get cleaned up in a hurry and yet, we’ve been saying that all training camp as well. So, we’ll find a way to get that done. It’s going to be a collective effort. No one’s pointing fingers.”

The penalties may be the most concerning issue from Monday night. On Chicago’s opening drive, they did not have any penalties, and perhaps that is why they were able to go down the field and score.

However, on every drive after the opening drive in the first quarter, the Bears committed at least one penalty, although one of those was declined.

“We kept shooting ourselves in the foot whether it was penalties, lack of a rushing game, we (were) in a number of second and longs that turned into third and longs and that’s not a way you want to live, particularly against a good playcaller like that and a talented defensive front and secondary like they have,” Johnson said. “So, I don’t know that it changed a whole lot at halftime. I just didn’t feel like we executed very well in the second half.”

As Ben Johnson mentioned, the run game was a problem yet again. Chicago’s leading rusher was quarterback Caleb Williams who had six rush attempts for 58 yards and a touchdown. The Bears’ leading running back, D’Andre Swift, only had 53 rushing yards despite having 17 rushing attempts for an average of 3.1 yards per carry.

The passing game was working on the opening drive as Williams started 10 for 10 although he ultimately only completed 60 percent of his passes. When the offense could not get things going, the defense kept Chicago in the game for the first three quarters.

Cornerback Nahshon Wright even had a pick-six, which is what gave the Bears a 17-6 lead.

Unfortunately for Chicago, things unraveled in the fourth quarter as they gave up three touchdowns.

“Statistically, I really think the defense did a really good job up until the very end. That fourth quarter, things got away from us a little bit. But, up until then, they kept us in that ball game. Offense was stalling out. Some good, some bad,” Johnson said. “I thought Caleb played well to start the game for the most part, finding completions and getting us moving. We weren’t good enough on third down or fourth down as the game went, which we knew that was a good team on those downs, and then of course when you have the penalties and hard to establish the run game quite like we wanted to. It felt like we were behind the sticks most of the time. So, second and long and third and long was where we lived, which was a struggle for us offensively.”

Chicago’s offense will have a chance to redeem itself against the Detroit Lions on Sun. Sept. 14 (Noon / FOX) in their second division game to start off the season. Detroit is coming off an embarrassing loss where the Green Bay Packers dominated them. Therefore, both teams have something to prove as they enter this matchup.