The first drive of the season for the Bears showed their fans something they had been craving for so long — a well-oiled offensive machine. Then, in true Bears fashion, they gave up three fourth-quarter touchdowns to drop their season opener to the Vikings.
Ben Johnson’s much-anticipated head coaching debut ended in disappointment and left fans scratching their heads at times. Now the Bears face a quick turnaround.
They must go from their Monday Night Football opener to a road matchup against their new coach’s former team, the Detroit Lions. Both teams come into the game winless. This week provides a chance for both to prove they belong in a jam-packed NFC North division.
Bears Look to Return Two Important Pieces on Defense
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Jaylon Johnson missed Week 1 with what the team listed as calf/groin issues. However, he has now returned as a full participant in practice this week.
Johnson is widely considered one of the best cornerbacks in the game. He will add a much-needed boost to the Bears’ defense against the reigning divisional champions. According to Pro Football Reference, Johnson only allowed a mere two receptions for a combined seven yards versus the Lions in 2024.
The Bears also will look to return inside linebacker T.J. Edwards this Sunday. A hamstring injury held Edwards out against the Vikings. While he has only been a limited participant in practice this week, the team is hopeful he will see his first action of the season this Sunday. Edwards finished 2024 second in combined tackles on the team, just one behind safety Kevin Byard.
Consistency Key for Bears on Both Sides of the Ball
While most of Week 1 looked dreadful offensively for the Bears, there is something to build off of.
After scoring zero first-drive touchdowns in 2024, the offense started the season off right with a 10-play, 61-yard drive ending in seven points. One of the keys to this drive was Caleb Williams‘ use of the backfield in the passing game. Notably, the Bears’ running backs were responsible for the first three receptions on the drive. They contributed 22 yards on those catches. The rest of the game, the backfield receiving totals were only a singular catch for one yard.
With the Lions giving up the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL last season, the Bears will look to expose Detroit’s weak secondary. While the Lions only gave up 188 yards through the air to the Packers in Week 1, Jordan Love finished as the third-highest rated quarterback in QBR with a 92.1 rating.
For the Bears to free up space for their receivers in the secondary, they will also need to lean on the use of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai in the passing game.
Defensively, the Bears were dominant until they weren’t. The defense forced six three-and-outs in three quarters. They added an interception returned for a touchdown by Nahshon Wright. However, a switch flipped on both sidelines. This change led to the Vikings scoring on three straight drives. After only allowing 122 yards of offense, Chicago then gave up 178 yards on those three touchdown drives.
The Lions offense looked far from the explosive, high-scoring unit that we saw for the last three years against the Packers in week one. Detroit’s 13-point performance was their lowest scoring total in over a season; Week 14 of the 2023 season was the last time the Lions scored only 13 points, a 28-13 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field.
Even with the offseason loss of their offensive coordinator, there is still plenty of offensive talent for the Bears’ defense to game-plan for.
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Ben Johnson’s return
Divisional road game aside, this is a game the team needs to get up for. By no means is this game a must-win, but the team needs to show a consistent ability to compete with a top team in the NFC, and especially in a big game for their new coach.
Ben Johnson was the first to take the blame for his team’s offensive struggles in Week 1. He admitted that neither he nor the team was at their best, but what better chance to right the ship than against his former team?
While it is important not to get too ahead of themselves and expect a win this week, Bears fans should expect to see improvements on the offensive side of the ball to give them a sliver of hope back that they have the right pieces in place for this season and their future.
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