CHICAGO – Brad Maynard missed his first game in 11 NFL seasons Sunday with a groin injury, snapping a streak of 161 consecutive contests that was the longest on the Bears.

“I’m disappointed about that obviously, but it’s a team game,” Maynard said. “We needed to get our first win of the season and we felt like there was a chance I could re-injure myself, so we made the best decision for the team.”

Dirk Johnson performed well in his Bears debut before leaving Sunday's game with an injury.

With Maynard injured, the Bears on Saturday signed Dirk Johnson, who averaged 41.6 yards on 276 punts in five seasons with the Saints (2002) and Eagles (2003-06).

Johnson excelled in Sunday's 20-10 win over the Chiefs, averaging 49.8 yards on four punts before exiting with a quad contusion late in the third quarter. Johnson was injured while making a tackle on Eddie Drummond's 22-yard return.

Kicker Robbie Gould took over from there, launching short and high punts of 28 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter.

Johnson also replaced Maynard as the Bears’ holder, working flawlessly on Gould's two field goals from 47 and 38 yards and two extra points. 

“Robbie did an excellent job and [long-snapper Patrick] Mannelly was good as always,” Johnson said. “At Philly, I’d always held for a left-footed guy [in David Akers], so being on the right side was just a little bit different. But it was good. Those guys out there did a heck of a job.”

Johnson had just finished working out Friday when he discovered that the Bears had left him a message. He was on an airplane to Chicago a few hours later.

“It was definitely a whirlwind,” he said. “A week ago, I was in a truck with all my stuff [headed] back to Colorado. I was in New England on Tuesday and here on Friday. I’ve been zigzagging across the country.”

The Bears made room on their roster for Johnson by cutting cornerback Adebola Jimoh, who had been signed on Tuesday.

Maynard said that he “absolutely” expects to play next Sunday night when the Bears host the Cowboys at Soldier Field.

Rookie tight end Greg Olsen missed his second straight game Sunday with a sprained left knee sustained in the preseason finale. Other inactives were cornerback Corey Graham, fullback Lousaka Polite, center/guard Josh Beekman, wide receiver Mike Hass and defensive tackle Antonio Garay.