Ben Johnson opened his first postgame press conference as Chicago Bears head coach with honesty after a painful Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears held a 17-6 lead but watched it slip away in the fourth quarter, leaving Johnson frustrated with how the opener unfolded. “Obviously a disappointing way to start the season,” he admitted.
Johnson pointed to mistakes as the key difference, noting that his team failed to live up to their own pregame standard. “We said going in to Week One that the team that made the least number of mistakes would win the game, and unfortunately we were on the wrong side of that.” He emphasized that penalties, mental errors, and his own decisions all played a role in the defeat.
The Bears committed 12 penalties, a stat that stood out to Johnson as unacceptable. “That’s got to get cleaned up in a hurry,” he said, adding that it was something they had already addressed throughout training camp. The missed opportunities and sloppy execution gave Minnesota the momentum they needed to pull off the comeback.
Even the offensive game plan left Johnson dissatisfied, particularly with the ground attack. “The running game just — I didn’t feel the rhythm as I was calling it,” he said. Johnson admitted that the lack of chemistry and timing reflected as much on him as his players, making it clear he’s not shying away from responsibility after the opening loss.
The next game for the Bears
It’s more than obvious from his statements that Ben Johnson doesn’t want another loss and is determined to prevent it. This is especially true since the team has to play the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, who recently came from behind to win a very tough game against the Ravens.
The most recent game between the Bears and the Bills was in 2022, a 35-13 Bills win in Chicago. The most recent victory for the Bears against Buffalo was back in 2018, a 41-9 road win. It was a different era, and today, both teams are in different situations.