It was the type of loss that can kill entire seasons. The Chicago Bears were already smarting from their week one collapse against the Minnesota Vikings, where they coughed up a 17-6 lead in the 4th quarter. It was hoped they’d be able to right the ship against the Detroit Lions in week two. Instead, they got bodyslammed in a way the organization hasn’t experienced since 2014, losing 52-21. It was a humiliating experience, leaving many fans feeling even worse about the team’s direction than they had before. How can it still look this bad in year four of a rebuild? Head coach Ben Johnson must’ve wondered what he’d gotten himself into.

In truth, that was not the case at all. If there is one thing Johnson understood about the NFL, it’s a week-to-week league. No one loss, devastating though it was, should decide the fate of a season. He had to convey this message to the players, reminding them that if they want to win games, they need to start showing it in practice. For the first time, the Bears released an in-season episode of 1920 Football Drive. In it, certain veteran players revealed how Johnson managed to rally the team from such a disaster to save the season.

Ben Johnson never wavered in his approach.

The last thing you want to do after a tough loss is change everything. Players aren’t stupid. They know a coach doesn’t have the capacity to handle adversity if he’s having knee-jerk reactions. Consistency in approach is crucial for establishing a mindset. Ben Johnson appears to have stayed the course, reminding guys that focusing on the big picture won’t help them. The goal should be to work hard to clean up the mistakes and worry only about one thing.

Winning the next game.

Chicago responded with their best performance of the season, routing the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 at Soldier Field to avoid an 0-3 hole. Johnson famously delivered his “Good, Better, Best” speech in the post-game locker room, hammering home the message about constantly looking to improve. The Bears followed his lead into Las Vegas, where they overcame a 24-19 deficit in the fourth quarter to escape with a 25-24 win.

Johnson passed his first critical test by preventing the team from spiraling. He has their respect. Now he must build it into belief.

The trade deadline is three weeks away. Moves are already happening. Teams that view this season as a wash have begun unloading players they don’t see as part of their future. Many have pushed the Chicago Bears to take advantage of this opportunity, looking to add a quality veteran to shore up a problematic area of the roster. Maybe there is a solid running back out there who can compete with D’Andre Swift. Perhaps a pass rusher is available who can actually get sacks. Yet there have been zero signs that the organization is even considering a move.

That doesn’t figure to change, at least according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. He went on 670 The Score to discuss the trade market situation. From what he gathers, the Bears aren’t really looking to make a move. The strange part is that the person you’d expect to be resisting the idea, GM Ryan Poles, is not the case. It appears the man who has made it clear no moves should be made is head coach Ben Johnson.

Anybody with knowledge of NFL history understands this is not normal.

The Chicago Bears are in a transition period.

This roster is not championship-ready. It hurts to admit, but that is the truth. They still don’t have a legitimate left tackle. Their pass rush is anemic, despite significant resources being invested in it with the additions of Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo. Also, they have multiple issues looming next offseason, including both safeties becoming free agents. Taking even a minor swing for help on the trade market drains the Chicago Bears’ draft coffers. Considering their constrained salary cap situation, that is unwise.

It sounds like Johnson isn’t naive. He understands the Bears are a work in progress. This season is about evaluating who belongs in his vision for the future and who will have to be replaced. You can’t do any replacing without draft picks. As interesting as a trade would be for the team’s 2025 prospects, it is unlikely to benefit the big picture. Johnson believes the wise course of action is to draft talented players and let his quality coaching staff develop them.

The Chicago Bears know the score. They will return to the scene of the crime that basically started the implosion of their 2024 season. It’s Washington. It’s primetime. The Hail Mary is burned into the memories of the players. Tyrique Stevenson still hasn’t escaped his inexcusable actions in those final moments. Head coach Ben Johnson has been careful with his comments, trying to remind everybody that last year was last year. This is a different Bears team. He isn’t wrong. One person who should be grateful for that is Dennis Allen.

The defensive coordinator faces a stiff challenge. Washington boasts the best rushing attack in the NFL, and the Bears have the worst run defense. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is difficult to defend as well, thanks to his ability to throw quickly and accurately. However, Allen will have one advantage going into the game. It sounds like star Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin won’t play. Last season, he gave the Bears’ defense fits, catching five passes for 125 yards. Without his presence, Allen might be able to allocate his resources more effectively.

Dennis Allen should dare Daniels to beat him.

Yes, the young quarterback is capable of doing so, but without McLaurin, such efforts will be more challenging. The Bears are getting Kyler Gordon back from injury. He should help with the pass coverage, as will T.J. Edwards. Dennis Allen cannot afford to let Washington dictate the tempo of the game with their ground attack. That means loading the box and working to slow them down. Daniels still has Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz. He’s not devoid of options, but they aren’t the main identity of that offense.

Games like this are why the Bears hired Allen. His intelligence and creativity allow him to give good quarterbacks headaches. The issue was that he couldn’t start doing that until his defense got better at stopping the run. We’re about to find out if any meaningful adjustments were made during the bye week to correct the problem. Getting Edwards back should help, but the problem has been up front. The defensive line must start controlling its gaps better. This is one of those games Allen must show up.

The Chicago Bears haven’t been active on the trade market for months. All of their moves took place before or during the NFL draft. Since then, they’ve gone silent. It appears GM Ryan Poles is content to let head coach Ben Johnson and his staff get the most from the current roster. However, history says he is not somebody prone to staying silent this time of year. He traded for Chase Claypool in 2022 at the deadline, and again for Montez Sweat in 2023. If Poles senses the need for a jolt to the roster, he’ll make a move. One person believes he might be trying to do it again.

Michael Rositano covers the Tennessee Titans for the Titans Upload Network. He’s been around the team for the past five years, providing regular updates and information about their inner workings. Rositano had some fascinating information on Thursday morning. From what he has gathered, the Bears and Titans have been discussing a possible trade. Chicago is seeking help on defense. While no name was directly mentioned, Rositano has a pretty good idea of who it probably is.

Jeffery Simmons would be a terrific addition for the Chicago Bears.

The 28-year-old is arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL. Not only is he a destructive interior pass rusher, but possibly an even better run defender. It’s no secret that the Chicago Bears desperately need help in both areas. Adding Simmons would give their defensive front a massive jolt. It makes sense that Tennessee might be open to shopping him. They’re in the middle of a rebuild around new quarterback Cam Ward. Simmons will likely be exiting his prime by the time they’re ready to compete. Shipping him out now for something in return makes sense.

The obvious question is, what can the Chicago Bears give them? Draft picks will be the obvious starting point. A 2nd round pick and something extra feels like the probable cost for Simmons’ services, given his age and having two years left on his contract. However, Poles could get creative. Tennessee badly needs wide receiver help. Trade rumors have circled D.J. Moore for months. He and Simmons have nearly identical contracts.

Last but not least, don’t forget Poles is friends with Titans GM Mike Borgonzi. The two worked together for years in Kansas City, dating back to 2009. It is far from crazy to think they could work out a deal.

Conventional wisdom regarding offensive line play in today’s NFL is obvious. Everything hinges on how well they protect the quarterback. That is hardly a surprise. Quarterbacks are the single largest driving force behind team success. Keeping them upright is crucial. Caleb Williams would agree after getting sacked 68 times last year. To that end, the revamped Bears offensive line is improved this year. Williams is on pace to be sacked only 30 times, which is a massive improvement. However, it doesn’t sound like Ben Johnson is happy about that.

The Chicago Bears head coach said all the right things when asked about how he prioritizes offensive line play. Being able to block guys one-on-one is a big thing for him. However, the coach’s actions tell a different story. Braxton Jones wasn’t benched as the team’s left tackle because of his protection issues. It was because he blew multiple assignments in the run game. Johnson didn’t hide his displeasure with the line’s overall performance at his latest presser. It sure sounds like he’s putting guys on notice.

“It’s hard to evaluate any of our backs right now when you turn on the tape and there are some free runners in the hole where the play is designed to go. I take it personally because I actually spend more time on the run game than I do on the passing game. Not only trying to create explosives in the running game but being sound.”

Ben Johnson is staying true to his personality.

Players and coaches who know him have all said the same thing. Ben Johnson doesn’t want to win. He wants to dominate. He wants to humiliate the opponent. To do that, you must own the line of scrimmage. There is nothing greater than imposing your will through sheer force on the ground. Johnson did it for years in Detroit. Unfortunately, the Bears lack the wealth of talent up front that the Lions possess. They had three 1st round picks on that line. Chicago has one (Darnell Wright). Johnson is trying to make things work with late round picks, former undrafted free agents, and older veteran additions.

It is incredibly difficult to build a successful unit that way. Still, these guys should at least be able to control the efficiency of their play. That is what’s driving Johnson crazy more than anything. He can live with a lack of talent. Poor fundamentals are something else entirely. Jones was a message to everybody else. Be on top of your responsibilities; otherwise, this head coach won’t hesitate to make changes.

Matt Nagy is the most successful Chicago Bears head coach of the past decade. As complicated a figure as he is these days, nobody can argue that he got better results than most. Still, his tenure ended in disappointment after starting with such promise. Winning the division in 2018 felt like a sign that the Bears were ready to go after a Super Bowl. Within two years, it became evident he was losing the locker room. People have struggled to figure out how things went so wrong so quickly.

This doesn’t boil down to just one mistake. Head coaches get fired for multiple miscalculations, on and off the field. However, every dismissal has what you would call a flashpoint. It was a moment where the perspective of them among the locker room starts shifting. Based on new details shared by Mike Silver of The Athletic, it appears that the moment for Nagy came in 2019, during the team’s gut-wrenching loss in London to the Oakland Raiders.

An incident in the locker room at halftime is what sparked it.

The previous night, on the first Sunday of October 2019, the Bears had suffered a 24-21 defeat to the Oakland Raiders. Nagy, normally upbeat and composed, had gone on an all-time tirade. His team trailing 17-0 at halftime, Nagy became unhinged in the locker room, directing his ire at his offensive linemen and loudly questioning their manhood. “You’re playing like a bunch of (wimps),” Nagy screamed, vaulting over a previously uncrossed line.

Not surprisingly, the linemen didn’t take it well. “I was one more insult away from pushing past our head of security and walking the streets of London, in uniform, trying to find the best pub possible to watch the second half,” recalls Kyle Long, then a Bears starting guard. “I don’t use the ‘Q’ word (quit) lightly, but I was close.”…

…“On the flight out,” Long says, “we were taking pictures like kids on Snapchat. On the way back, we were going to a wake. For nine hours, I challenge you not to make eye contact with the person across from you. I had to stare at my knees. It was torture.”

Remembers Nagy: “They had those seats that go in opposite directions. Nine hours of staring at each other. Nine hours of me glaring at them. We didn’t talk. I was pissed and they were pissed. That was just a weird moment. London’s dreary. The food stunk. You’re hangry. And (at halftime) I just lost my f—— mind.”

Matt Nagy was never the same after that game.

His magic touch was gone. Going into that contest, the Bears were 15-5 under his direction. He was 19-26 after it. Chicago lost four of the next five games after returning from London, crippling any hopes they had of returning to the playoffs. Matt Nagy started panicking. He alienated quarterback Mitch Trubisky, overhauled his coaching staff, and did everything possible to regain control of the locker room. While players never outright rebelled, it always felt like their respect for him dipped considerably over the course of 2019. Now we know why.

Shouting at players for not playing hard or making mistakes is one thing. Taking out your personal frustrations on them with insults is something else. This isn’t 40 years ago, when coaches could get away with such behavior. This breed of athlete doesn’t take such criticisms at face value. They take it personally. One has to wonder if things might’ve been different had Matt Nagy kept is composure during that halftime speech.