Bear Digest

Ben Johnson gets his first taste of what Bears fans have endured for decades

Ben Johnson’s first taste of the Bears experience wasn’t sweet — it was the same frustration Chicago fans know all too well.
Bryan Perez|
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears fans know the pain of losing games they should win. They know the pain of losing games late in the fourth quarter. They know the pain of watching a division rival's quarterback do things that our quarterback should be doing.

Ben Johnson got his first dose of that pain Monday night after Chicago surrendered a 17-6 lead to the Vikings and J.J. McCarthy, who, in his first pro start, spoiled Johnson's debut as Bears coach.

Minnesota's 27-24 win was as much about what the Bears did wrong as it was what McCarthy managed to do right. Chicago was sloppy, as evidenced by their 12 penalties for 127 yards. That's not the brand of football Bears fans were expecting from Johnson, and he knows it.

“Obviously a disappointing way to start the season,” Johnson said after the game. “To have a 17-6 lead and then see it go the way it did there in the fourth quarter — we said going in to Week One that the team that made the least number of mistakes would win the game, and unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of that. We made too many there late in the game, myself included."

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson before the game against the Minnesota Vikings
David Banks-Imagn Images

Those mistakes Johnson is referring to include an unnecessary challenge in the second half that cost the Bears a critical timeout, and a decision not to kick the ball out of bounds on the game's final kickoff and preserve the two-minute warning as an extra stoppage.

"There were a number of things that I could have done better, a number of things that a number of guys could have done better," Johnson said. "When you look down at the stat sheet and see 12 penalties, that’s got to get cleaned up in a hurry, and yet we’ve been saying that all training camp as well.”

Beyond Johnson's words was the painful body language he had during his post-game press conference. The loss hurt him. Bad.

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It's only one game. And if we're being honest, the fact that the Chicago Bears were able to play that well against a team that won 14 games last year and boasts one of the NFL's top defenses is a positive takeaway.

Just don't tell that to Johnson, who may need to invest in a season's worth of TUMS.

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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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