The Chicago Bears started the season 0-2. Everything looked dead. Nobody could've expected what would happen next. They have won six of their last seven games. Four of those six have involved a 4th quarter comeback. Yes, really. What's remarkable about it is how they've happened. It started with the blocked field goal in Las Vegas. Then it was a game-winning field goal from backup kicker Jake Moody, who San Francisco had just cut. Fast forward to Cincinnati, where the Bears allowed 15 points in 43 seconds to lose a 41-27 lead, only to see rookie tight end Colston Loveland snatch the game back with a 58-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown with 17 seconds left. One can only imagine how Ben Johnson feels.
He was used to winning comfortably during most of his tenure with the Detroit Lions. This is uncharted territory for him. Sunday against the New York Giants was more of the same. Another clunky first half saw the Bears trail 10-7, and then 17-7 when Jaxson Dart got loose on a run. The Bears looked dead in the water. Then, a timely turnover and a 91-yard drive from Caleb Williams flipped the momentum. Chicago scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes to stun the Giants 24-20.
Johnson then gave the line of the season after walking off the field.
“I need a nap…this is exhausting.”
Ben Johnson summed it all up.
This is not something Bears fans are used to. It has been one or the other with them. Their wins have always come from taking early leads and holding them. Coming back in the 4th quarter was anathema to them. That is because they lacked a quarterback or effective offensive play-calling to make it happen. Suddenly, it looks like they have both. Williams was sensational when it mattered once again. Ben Johnson crafted the necessary plays to create big moments. The two are fast becoming a lethal duo in crunch time.
It would just be nice if they could start doing that stuff early in the game so they don't constantly need these comebacks. That doesn't feel like too much to ask. Alas, sometimes that is just the identity you have. Johnson will never apologize for finding ways to win. If it requires pulling them out at the last second? So be it. Whatever it takes.
