Bear Digest

What Bears coach Ben Johnson admitted is sure to tick off Lions fans

Detroit Lions fans will be interested to know what their former offensive coordinator, Bears coach Ben Johnson, thinks happened in last season's playoff loss to Washington.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson says he might have been a bit too aggressive against Washington while in the playoffs with the Lions.
Ben Johnson says he might have been a bit too aggressive against Washington while in the playoffs with the Lions. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Ben Johnson owned up to some blame for the Detroit Lions' playoff loss to Washington last season, admitting to his role in it as his new team is getting set to face the Commanders.

One play in particular that irked Lions fans was a decision to have receiver Jameson Williams throw a pass as the Lions were mounting a comeback in their 45-31 loss. Williams threw an interception with the scored 38-28. The Commanders then scored and the Lions went on to defeat on their own field. Johnson quit then to go to Chicago.

"Yeah, I think when I look back at that game there were, we had a lot of turnovers,"  Johnson said.

There were five, including three interceptions of Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

"I felt like within that setting, that as good as that (Commanders) offense was clicking, you know, you feel a little bit of pressure on offense to go score for score and you don't want to fall behind by two scores against a good team like that," Johnson said. "So, might have been a little bit more aggressive with the play calls and got away from the game plan a little bit based on how that game went."

Lions fans everywhere probably are saying: "Yah think?!!!"

Johnson did say the turnovers, as a whole, did in Detroit and  not necessarily the one turnover. Now he wants to avoid them Monday night when the Bears travel to the nation's capital to face Jayden Daniels and the Commanders.

"End of the day, you take care of the football, that game maybe goes a different direction," Johnson said.

The Bears won the turnover battle in their last two games, taking it away  four times in each one. They are tied for fourth in the NFL in turnover differential at plus-five for the year.

"We've done a good job taking care of the football for the most part and we've been taking the ball away from the opposing offense," Johnson said. "I think that's a big indicator of how well we'll do this week."

The Bears are not the Lions from last year, however. It might take more creative plays than Johnson has in his playbook to help them keep pace considering how poor his own defense has played against the run and how poor the Bears offense has been at running it.

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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.