After watching tape of Sunday's 23-12 win over the Jets at Soldier Field, Bears coach Ben Johnson spoke to the media virtually Monday about what stood out:
(1) Johnson lauded the defense for limiting the Jets to one touchdown, 157 total yards, seven first downs and 0 of 7 third-down conversions.
In the process, the Bears registered three sacks and seven quarterback hits while allowing Geno Smith to complete just 8 of 15 passes for 119 yards.
"We talk about the No. 1 factor being the pass-game efficiency on both sides of the ball," Johnson said. "So, to put it in layman's terms, if our quarterback plays better than your quarterback, we have a good shot of winning the ballgame. And I felt like the last two weeks in particular, we really affected the quarterback through both the rush and coverage aspect of it.
"[Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen] is doing a great job mixing in these coverages. Our guys on the back end are executing them at a really high level, just being sticky and limiting the throwing lanes. And then our rush plan's been outstanding. Whether we're rushing four or whether we're bringing pressure, these guys are all working together at a high clip right now."
That's been especially true on third down, with the Bears ranking second in the NFL, having held opponents to a 23.7% conversion rate (9 of 38), including 12.5% (2 of 16) in their last two games.
"DA always talks about that marriage between the rush and the coverage and how important it is that they're both working together," Johnson said. "I do think the windows are smaller on the back end, and I think our rush integrity is a lot more sound than maybe it had been in the past as well. Guys understand what we're trying to get done. There's a lot of unselfish football being played right now in terms of not worrying about getting the sacks themselves and more worried about finding a way to affect the quarterback as a team."
(2) Johnson was happy with how quarterback Tyson Bagent led the offense in his first start since he opened four games as an undrafted rookie in 2023.
Bagent completed 25 of 34 passes for a career-high 268 yards with one interception and an 83.9 passer rating while being sacked once.
"He did a great job with the operation," Johnson said. "The game didn't seem too big for him, and yet, there's a few missed opportunities out there as well. He wants to continue to hone in on his ball location, make sure he's getting the ball out in front of guys properly so they can run through the catch."
Bagent's lone interception came in the second quarter when he did not put the ball far enough out in front of Colston Loveland across the middle, and it was picked off by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
In the first period, Bagent's short pass intended for Loveland was intercepted by 6-4, 366-pound defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat, but the play was nullified by a Jets penalty for illegal use of hands.
"I'm pleased with where [Bagent] was at for the first week," Johnson said. "You have a little bit of adversity; even the Sweat interception that was negated, that could easily put you in the tank. But he's a resilient individual and he was able to power through that and make some big plays for us [later] in the game."
Johnson revealed Monday that Bagent is expected to make his second straight start in place of the injured Caleb Williams Sunday when the Bears visit the Packers. Bagent's start against the Jets was his first during the regular season in more than 1,000 days.
"He certainly understands how important [limiting interceptions] is to team success, but at the same time, we don't want him to lose his aggressiveness level either," Johnson said. "We had some opportunities for some big plays down the field that he didn't pull the trigger on also, and so there's a balancing act there.
"It's something that we'll be able to talk to him about, review the tape and learn from and move on from. He certainly is conscious about how important it is to give our guys a chance, give them good, accurate balls and keep it moving from there. He made a lot of really good decisions throughout that game. I thought the operation was really smooth and really clean, and I think his teammates really responded to him being out there."
(3) Johnson did not seem too concerned about the thumb injury that running back Kyle Monangai suffered late in Sunday's win.
"We think he's going to be OK," Johnson said. "We'll see what it looks like as we go through the week here, but [it's] more of a day-to-day type deal."
Monangai rushed for 146 yards and two TDs on 30 carries. It was the second-year pro's most attempts, second-most yards and first multi-TD game of his career.
The Bears burned the final 9:07 of the game off the clock with a methodical 18-play, 76-yard drive. Monangai rushed for 29 yards on six attempts and Roschon Johnson gained 12 yards on three carries on the possession. Meanwhile, D'Andre Swift did not touch the ball after losing a fumble midway through the third quarter.
"We felt a lot of confidence just how we're moving the ball throughout that day," Johnson said. "[A turnover] was really going to hold us back as if we shot ourselves in the foot, and so we can't have it. Everybody on the team knows that; it's a little bit of a buzzkill when you have a little momentum going.
"There's really no message that needs to be sent to anybody. Nobody wants to put the ball on the ground. Nobody wants to turn it over. Nobody wants to drop the ball. It's just we all have to have short memories. We've got to learn from it. Coaches, players, all of us, we're going to do some things that we don't like at times. Could be a bad play call on my end, could be a missed tackle by our defense. All those things, they happen. Learn from it and move on."
(4) One of the things that impressed Johnson most Sunday was how the defense responded to sudden changes.
After generating two takeaways, the Jets started possessions at the Bears' 34 and 28 but were forced to settle for field goals on both drives.
"We had two sudden changes yesterday, and they didn't bat an eye," Johnson said. "They went out on the field and held them to two field goals. I thought it was outstanding. That's kind of who they are. We talk all the time about it's a long game, 60-minute game, and yet they're a poised group."
(5) One main focus this week will be on the offense improving in the red zone.
After scoring touchdowns on all four of their possessions inside the 20 in a 59-37 season-opening win over the Panthers, the Bears have been limited to four TDs on 15 red-zone drives (26.7%) in their last three games. On Sunday, they mustered just two touchdowns on seven trips inside the Jets' 20.
"It's different each week right now," Johnson said. "Last week we were plagued with negative plays. We had a couple fouls, we had a false start, we had a holding, I want to say we had four negative runs. This week, that wasn't the case. We stayed more on schedule and on track. Our details got a little bit haywire.
"We need to do a better job installing the play, having the guys understand what the intent of the play is, and we've got to make sure that we get a great practice on Friday, which is our red zone day, to make sure that any issues that could come up, we go ahead and address then and there, and we're good to go on game day."
