After watching tape of Sunday night's 27-24 win over the Buccaneers, coach Ben Johnson spoke to reporters virtually Monday about what stood out to him:
(1) Johnson was happy the Bears were able to extend their winning streak to four heading into their bye week despite not playing up to their standard.
They overcame five turnovers and relinquished a 24-13 fourth-quarter lead before Caleb Williams engineered a late 8-play, 49-yard drive that culminated in Cairo Santos' winning 38-yard field goal as time expired.
"Really pleased with how the team came out and found a way to win," Johnson said. "In a number of areas, we weren't at our best, and yet finding a way to win was the most important thing, so it was a great, great win in that regard."
Because the Bears did not play up to their capabilities, the mood in the locker room after the game was not as celebratory as it normally is following victories.
"The good news is that all of our guys, as grateful as we are to win — that's the end goal that we're looking for — there's a certain standard that we want to hit week in and week out," said the Bears coach. "And I think the good teams, even when they get victories, if they don't hit those benchmarks, then there leaves some more to be desired, and I felt that from our crew, which is a good thing. That's the next evolution of this team; not just that we win, but the manner in which we play."
(2) Johnson praised the Bears defense for allowing only one field goal and one touchdown on drives that followed five turnovers and a deflected 25-yard punt.
The only TD that the Buccaneers scored on those six possessions came when they took over at the Chicago 17 after forcing and recovering a Luther Burden III fumble.
The Bears defense recorded two takeaways and four sacks, scored a touchdown on Jaylon Johnson's 67-yard interception return and allowed Tampa Bay to convert just 2-of-12 third-down opportunities.
"The defense is really the unsung hero this game," Johnson said. "To have the five turnovers and the blocked punt and only [11] points [on those drives], that's really a phenomenal job, and it's a mindset. They go out there and they know every time they hit the grass that their goal is to not allow the opponent to score points, and so they did that to a high level yesterday."
Johnson singled out three players for their performances.
"Already talked about Jaylon Johnson's interception for a touchdown; that was a huge play in that game," said the Bears coach. "I thought Devin Bush played one of his best games as a Chicago Bear, which was outstanding to see. Austin Booker made some great plays for us. His intensity, his effort, they keep getting better week in and week out. And so a lot of guys there on that defensive side played some really good football for us, which we needed."
(3) Although the Bears had not had to win a game on their final drive this season prior to Sunday night, their familiarity with that scenario was evident.
It was a regular occurrence during a magical 2025 season when the Bears rallied to win seven games they trailed in the final 2:00. On Sunday night, the offense leaned on that crunch-time experience after the Buccaneers had tied the game 24-24 with 2:51 to play.
"It's unique because we haven't been in that situation a lot this year, and I hate to keep drawing back to last year," Johnson said, "but maybe it's that confidence from a lot of those familiar faces still being a part of this team that we're going to be at our best when the pressure is the highest.
"It just felt like we were back on the bike and we were riding that bike again. It's hard to describe, to be honest with you. But I'm glad that they felt the same way that I felt because it wasn't like we were having to say a whole lot on the sideline. That wasn't necessary. It was just we keep going at it, we keep battling away. The big play finally presented itself, and those guys nailed it. It was really well done by the entire offense there."
The big play that set up Santos' winning field goal was Williams' 38-yard pass to a wide-open Colston Loveland to the Buccaneers' 16 with :38 to play.
"We all know that motions and shifts, they do cause communication [issues on defense]," Johnson said. "But it's hit or miss whether you'll actually get a breakdown like that. We've got good sound plays that go in. We try to account for all the issues that they give you protection-wise. The quarterback reads the play out, and if someone isn't where they're supposed to be, he makes them pay. So, Caleb did a great job on that particular play."
(4) Johnson is confident that Williams will learn from the miscues he made against a defense that entered Week 9 leading the NFL with 12 interceptions.
The third-year quarterback threw TD passes on the Bears' first two possessions and led them to the winning field goal on their final drive. But in between, he uncharacteristically was picked off four times.
"When you look at the four interceptions," Johnson said, "there are a couple where we didn't see the coverage quite as well as we would've liked, and there's a couple where we're making attempts to avoid disaster, and we didn't quite do what we needed to do with the ball in terms of burning it and living for the next play.
"I know he was trying to dirt or throw away a couple of those, and we've just got to do a better job of getting that job done. The other one's just the coverage recognition part of it. That's what a Todd Bowles defense is known for, and they can make it challenging. And so, there'll be good ones for us to put in our memory bank and draw from next time we go against a team like that."
Asked what he felt accounted for the mid-game lull on offense, Johnson said: "I don't know necessarily if it was one thing. I think there were a lot of factors that went into play there. We had a lot of penalties that contributed to that. We got out of rhythm as an offense. As a play caller, I've got to do a better job trying to get us back on track. And once again, I give a lot of credit to that defense. It is a good unit, and they make it very challenging. In some ways, we started the game off right, and we finished it strong, but that middle second and third quarter, that wasn't quite our style of play. So, we'll pick it up from there."
(5) Johnson lauded left tackle Theo Benedet for playing the entire game Sunday night with a shoulder injury that had limited him in practice.
"It's tremendous growth and certainly him being a young player understanding that this team still needs him," Johnson said. "We talk about, 'there's going to be games over the course of the season where you're not 100%, and yet we need you going out there and giving every little ounce you've got in your 90% or your 85%,' and I think that was a case of him last night pushing through and being out there for his buddies.
"That's all over this roster right now. You see a guy like Tyrique Stevenson go down for a minute. You see a guy like Kyler Gordon go down for a minute, and they're fighting, they're itching to get back on the field to finish the game with their teammates. And so I'm really proud of the team, just in terms of where they're at, wanting to go out there and compete and finish these things out."
