Bear Digest

Bears defense and Jaylon Johnson rebound by dominating Browns

The three big plays allowed against Green Bay a week earlier were quickly forgotten Sunday as the Bears' defense produced three key interceptions in a 31-3 win over the Browns.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears linebacker D'Marco Jackson (48) and Bears slot cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson (35) celebrate after an interception.
Bears linebacker D'Marco Jackson (48) and Bears slot cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson (35) celebrate after an interception. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Jaylon Johnson believes he's still not 100% physically as he rehabs from his core muscle surgery, but there's nothing wrong with his hand-eye coordination.

Johnson's interception in the late third quarter might have been every bit as good as the touchdown reception DJ Moore made Sunday against Cleveland and it helped shut down the last real hope the Browns had for mounting a comeback in a 31-3 Chicago win.

The Bears' defense dominated the Browns and Shedeur Sanders with three interceptions, bouncing back a week after they gave up three big-play touchdown passes to the Packers.

"I mean, really I was just playing playing the ball through his eyes and not really panicking at all and understanding where the ball is going to come and then it happened to fall right into my hands," Johnson said. "So I was just glad I held on and stayed in bounds."

Actually, Johnson was one-on-one with Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy and maybe a bit behind at the goal line when the ball came between the two. It wasn't actually clear whether Johnson plucked it, or took it right out of Jeudy's hands.

"I would say, I mean, you tell me," Johnson said because he had no idea. "I had the ball and I ran right through the end zone."

The touchback ended a threat with the Bears up 21-3 and the offense converted it into an 80-yard TD drive to lock up the win. Combined with Green Bay's loss at Denver, the Bears took back over first place in the NFC North.

It was Johnson's first interception since Week 3 of last season and now, combined with the picks by D'Marco Jackson and C.J. Johnson-Gardner, the Bears' defense has a league-high total of 21 picks and also league-high 30 takeaways.

"It means a lot," Johnson said. "I mean, we're not really talking money (stats) right now. We've got bigger and btter things to accomplish, but those turnovers are definitely impacting on the game."

Johnson sees more on the horizon if he can keep working toward 100% after the surgery.

"I think I mean it's getting better week by week as far as how my body feels but it's still a long process just trying to make it better stronger," he said.

The defense allowed Sanders only 177 yards passing on 18 of 35, and 89 of the yards came on catches by Jeudy. The 192 total net yards gained by Cleveland's offense was the best effort by a Bears defense since they held Mike Glennon and the New York Giants to 155 yards on Jan. 2, 2021 in a 29-3 Bears win.

"I can't say enough good things here about our defense," coach Ben Johnson said. I think this was really an outstanding performance. I know we gave up a couple explosives that we'd like to have back but outside of one or two plays they did a really phenomenal job shutting down the run game, making it second and long, third and long and getting off the field.

"When you combine that with the takeaways, once again, three takeaways there in the second half which were enormous for us, it really, I thought carried the day for us."

Johnson labeled the interception by Jackson as game-altering. The Bears led 14-3 at the time and momentum seemed to be swaying in the third quarter. Jackson batted the ball into the air and then plucked it to set up the 22-yard TD pass by Caleb Williams to DJ Moore.

"He's done such a great job coming in at the end of training camp or whenever that was and picking up the defense," Johnson said of Jackson, a former Saints player. "I know he had some familiarity there with DA (Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen), but to go from a guy contributing on special teams to playing significant snaps at Mike linebacker, I think that's a big credit to him.”

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.