One would think Ben Johnson would be thrilled with the state of things. The Chicago Bears started the season 0-2. Since then, they’ve won four games in a row. They are suddenly in second place in the NFC North and have defeated two potential roadblocks (Dallas and Washington) in the NFC wild card picture. It is hard not to feel good about that. Yet from the look on Johnson’s face at his post-game presser, you’d think somebody insulted his mother. That is because the win over the New Orleans Saints, while the outcome he wanted, didn’t go he way he’d hoped.
Chicago led the game 20-0 at one point. They were in full control and threatening to blow it wide open. Then things got a little hectic. The Saints closed the gap, teasing a comeback. Thankfully, the defense shut the door and the running game plowed ahead for 222 yards. However, Johnson wasn’t happy. The passing game missed too many opportunities and never got on track. He didn’t hold back in his comments about quarterback Caleb Williams after the game. Win or not, improvement is needed.
Ben Johnson continues to maintain a clear perspective.
It can be so easy to get lost in the euphoria of the moment. This team was dead in water last month. That crushing loss in Detroit felt like a killing blow. Instead, Ben Johnson used it as fuel to engineer one of the wildest in-season turnarounds in recent Bears history. Williams has been a big part of that with those performances against Dallas and Las Vegas. However, that doesn’t mean he has suddenly arrived. Johnson isn’t naive. His young quarterback still has so much work to do. This is a coach who watched Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff operate at their peaks. Williams isn’t near that territory yet.
Saying those words was the right thing to do. Win or not, players shouldn’t be praise if they didn’t perform up to the team’s standard. If Williams had played better, the game would’ve been a blowout. Johnson continues to show he isn’t lowering the bar for anybody. Don’t execute at the proper level? Expect to hear about it after the game.
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