Bear Digest

Ben Johnson captures what's wrong with Bears in just a few words

It didn't take much for Ben Johnson to pinpoint what's holding the Bears back. His one sentence says it all.
Bryan Perez|
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are already at a crossroads in their 2025 season. If they defeat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, hope for a meaningful slate of games in December will remain. But if they lose and fall to 0-3? The chances they'll make the playoffs are virtually zero, and Bears fans will move on to scouting the 2026 NFL Draft.

It's a frustrating position to be in (already). Indeed, reasonable Bears fans weren't expecting a Super Bowl run in 2025. Heck, they probably weren't expecting a run at a wild card playoff spot, either. But those same reasonable fans had -- and still have -- every right to expect competitive football games every week.

That wasn't the case in Week 2's 52-21 loss to the Detroit Lions, which spans the streak of uncompetitive Bears football to five quarters. Remember: Chicago gave Week 1's game to the Minnesota Vikings during a fourth-quarter collapse.

So, what's the deal? Why have the Bears fallen so hard so quickly?

Ben Johnson offered a succinct assessment of where the Bears are at right now.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks on during the second half of the game against the Detroit Lions
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

"I think our practice habits are yet to reflect a championship caliber team," he said.

Yikes.

To be clear, Johnson didn't point solely at the players. He blamed the coaches, too. It's a team-wide problem, and one that Johnson is hoping the team can get cleaned up in advance of Week 3.

Johnson noted earlier in the week that practice effort could determine who gets more playing time against the Cowboys. He hinted at the skill group being his target, and most Bears fans assumed he was speaking about DJ Moore.

Johnson didn't specifically name Moore, and instead suggested Wednesday that all players will be held to a higher standard in practice. But keep a close eye on Moore's snap count this week, as a changing of the guard to Luther Burden III could be coming sooner than anyone expected.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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