Bears Nightcap: That’s the Ben Johnson Difference ...Middle East

The Chicago Bears’ bye week truly couldn’t have come at a better time.

Chicago should be 1-3 heading into the bye after nothing much went right for them today at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

We should be talking about how Maxx Crosby and Ashton Jeanty are fighting over today’s game ball in the Raiders locker room because both of them did every damn thing they could to earn it.

Instead, thanks to a Caleb Williams-led game-winning drive and a Josh Blackwell core memory field goal block to seal the deal, the Bears head to Halas Hall with a 2-2 record and are just a game behind the Detroit Lions for first place in the crowded NFC North.

Bears 25, Raiders 24: That’s the Ben Johnson Difference

After a disastrous first half for Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears, the rookie head coach’s fiery intensity was on display during an awkward interaction with CBS sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwal.

Kinkhabwala: “Your offense has struggled.”

Johnson jumps in: “They haven’t done anything, you’re right.”

Kinkhabwala: “So, what did you tell them to get things going?”

Johnson: “That wasn’t our brand of football. We’re capable of a lot more, and so we’re hitting the reset button here at halftime and we’re going to come back and establish our identity here in the second half.”

Kinkhabwala: “Do you need to change what you’re doing?”

Johnson: “I don’t know, you think so?” Johnson smiles, and Kinkhabwala laughs.

Johnson: “We’re going to be just fine.”

If we’re being honest, Kinkhabwala was right. Something needed to change for the Bears heading into the second half. Whether Johnson’s adjustments were satisfactory is a discussion for tomorrow after we watch the tape.

Still, something changed with the Bears, allowing them to win a game in which virtually nothing went right for them. That something happened on January 21 when Chicago hired Johnson as their head coach.

The fire we saw in Johnson during that interview, a fire he’s hammered into his players for the last nine months, is precisely how that team was able to be on the right side of one of those wonky games you’ll also look back on with a smile and a chuckle the next time those two opponents meet.

It’s hard to call a sloppy and probably partly lucky win a signature victory, but if Chicago does anything successful under Johnson’s leadership, we’re going to look back at Sunday’s victory as the first time this group took the form of their head coach and stole victory from the jaws of defeat.

Like I said in the opening: the Chicago Bears should be 1-3. I have zero doubt that had anyone else been their head coach, they would be 1-3. But they’re not, and that’s the first glimpse of the Ben Johnson difference in Chicago.

We need to have a conversation about D’Andre Swift …

D’Andre Swift ran hard a few times on the game-winning drive for the Chicago Bears, and he even punched in the eventual game-winning touchdown on Sunday.

However, that can’t distract us from the rest of the game.

The veteran running back rushed for 38 yards on 14 carries (2.7) in the victory over Vegas. But if we take away the 14 yards on three carries on that drive, he generated 24 yards on 11 carries, good for 2.1 yards per attempt. If Chicago’s offense is going to take the next step in Johnson’s offense, it will require more than that from the lead back.

I don’t know what the answer is right now. Making a trade is likely off the table. But Swift can’t continue to get the lion’s share of carries in this offense if it’s going to be successful, and I really hope that Johnson uses the next 14 days to address the offense’s single most significant deficit.

For what it’s worth, rookie running back Kyle Monangai doubled Swift’s per-carry production on Sunday by rushing for 18 yards on four carries.

Welcome to the Dennis Allen Experience

The defense has been re-imaged with essentially the same cast as last year, but with Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen leading the new production. And while it is too early to judge Allen’s new defense, the players seem excited (and in some cases, rejuvenated) with the new-look unit after a turbulent 2024 season under Matt Eberflus.

Gone are the days of “bend, don’t break,” the core principle of Chicago’s defense for decades under multiple minds. Here are the days of boom or bust, with Allen scheming up pressure, taking chances, and looking for a knock-out punch in pivotal moments of the game. We saw a glimpse of it during the preseason. Sometimes, it worked, and sometimes, it didn’t. Allen’s defense is going to pack a punch. It will also come with some inherent big-play risk and some associated frustration.

In the last eight quarters, Allen’s unit has eight takeaways — two fumble recoveries and six interceptions. They’ve also generated little pressure on opposing quarterbacks and haven’t had any answers for opposing rushing attacks. Granted, Allen is playing with a deck of cards missing a few aces through the first month of the season, but he’s going to need to find some consistency up front if the Bears are going to win games as the season progresses.

I wrote a few weeks ago, when I was previewing the Bears’ season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings, that the Dennis Allen experience was going to be a roller coaster. It’s lived up to the hype.

Bears Game Balls

Hey, we get to hand out some game balls again today!

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