After watching tape of Sunday's exciting 47-42 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati, Bears coach Ben Johnson on Monday spoke to reporters virtually about five things that stood out to him in the game:
(1) Johnson was pleased with the perseverance and determination shown by the Bears, who saw a late 14-point lead evaporate before rallying to win.
The Bengals erased a 41-27 deficit with 15 points in the final 1:43 of regulation to take a 42-41 lead. But Caleb Williams' 58-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colston Loveland with :17 to play gave the Bears a dramatic comeback victory.
"It was good to see our guys come through," Johnson said. "Really proud of the players and the coaching staff staying with it there for all 60 minutes. We needed that whole time, and I just love how they competed, and they found a way. Very pleased with that.
"Obviously, we don't want to lose a two-score lead like that late in the game. That's not a recipe we want to live with. For us to sustain what we've got going on right now, we've got to clean some of that up. With that being said, it was good to see our players today. I know they're focused on fixing our mistakes, and we'll be ready to go next week."
(2) Johnson was thrilled with the offense's stellar performance.
The unit generated a season-high six touchdowns, the most points (47) in a game since 2018 and the most total yards (576) in a game since 1980.
"There were times this year that I felt like we won in spite of the offense," Johnson said, "and this was probably the first time I felt like the offense had a big say in us winning that game. And so that was encouraging to me, just for that phase."
One main focus entering the game was improving in the red zone, and the offense accomplished that objective. After scoring touchdowns on just 5 of 16 possessions inside-the-20 in their previous four games, the Bears generated four TDs on six red-zone trips Sunday.
(3) Johnson raved about Caleb Williams' athleticism and versatility, which allowed the coach to call two trick plays that resulted in the quarterback catching passes.
Williams had two receptions, a 2-yard touchdown from receiver DJ Moore and a 20-yard catch from backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. In the process, Williams became the first player in NFL history to compile at least 275 yards passing, 50 yards rushing and 20 yards receiving in a game.
"He is a great athlete," Johnson said. "He can beat you any number of ways: Traditional quarterback play in the pocket. Really strong arm. Can throw the ball down the field. But also his legs add another element to the equation. We saw it yesterday. He had 53 yards on the ground, which was really encouraging to see.
"That helped us extend some drives, and we needed it at certain times, so that was awesome. It worked out that way to where we were able to take advantage of that defense just a little bit, get them outnumbered on one side of the field and get the ball to him. It was good. He came through for us."
Johnson also liked what he saw from Williams in the pocket. The USC product completed 20 of 34 passes for 280 yards with three TDs and a 114.8 passer rating.
"There's a number of things that I was pretty pleased with," Johnson said. "It's looking more like I want it to look, that he wants it to look like."
The Bears coach cited one example of Williams going through his progressions before dumping off the ball to a back.
"That to me is what we want this quarterback to look like as he's playing within the timing and the rhythm of this offense and trusting his feet to take him through the progressions," Johnson said. "Something for us to build on. There's a couple that we can continue to clean up. [But] he's starting to play faster.
"The more reps we're getting on some of these concepts, he's understanding the intent, the coverages that we're really looking to get and if we're not getting those coverages, can we quickly get to No. 2, No. 3, or even look to run with that ball? It's coming along nicely."
(4) Johnson was encouraged by what he saw in defensive end Austin Booker's season debut and hopes the second-year pro will continue to ascend.
After missing the first seven games with a knee injury he sustained in the preseason, Booker registered a strip sack of quarterback Joe Flacco that resulted in a key takeaway.
Booker figures to see expanded playing time after Johnson's revelation Monday that defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo will miss the rest of the season with an Achilles injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game in Cincinnati. A week earlier in Baltimore, rookie defensive end Shemar Turner was lost for the year with a torn ACL.
"It's one of those deals where it feels like we take some strides at particular positions, then we take some steps back," Johnson said. "It's wild. I felt like we had a solution there with Shemar at defensive end a couple weeks ago. Then we lost him. Then we finally get Booker back and we lose Dayo.
"It's a little bit of give and take. That's, of course, the NFL season. That happens. We'll have guys step up. I thought Book played a nice game yesterday. I was very pleased to see that for his first game back. I do have a lot of confidence there. Hopefully we'll get Dom Robinson back too. He was doing some nice things there early in the season as well. You can never have too many pass rushers. You can never have too many cover players on the back end either. That's how I have always felt since I've been in this league."
(5) Johnson acknowledged the issues the Bears experienced on special teams Sunday, beginning with the opening kickoff that Charlie Jones returned 98 yards for a TD.
The Bengals' Samaje Perine brought back the Bears' second kickoff 38 yards.
"It's lane integrity," Johnson said. "We have to do a better job shedding blocks, rallying to the football. We were too passive at times. There are a number of things we can clean up there, and it's not just any one particular player; it's everybody. It's all the coaches. It's all the players. We have to get this thing fixed."
