Everybody knows that Ben Johnson is an intense individual on game days. His players have learned to steer clear of him unless absolutely necessary. If you play well, you should be fine. Heaven help you if you don't meet his standards. Well, the Chicago Bears endured their second straight loss in as many weeks, falling to the Detroit Lions 19-16 at Soldier Field. The primary theme of the night was a slow start from the offense. They didn't score until the start of the 4th quarter. Three drives ended in punts, and two others ended in turnovers.
After putting up 31 points last week in San Francisco, this was an undeniable dud from the offense despite their 16-point run in the 4th quarter. Nobody was less happy about it than Johnson. The Bears' head coach is usually good about keeping his composure after games. He seemed to experience a rare slip after this game, giving clipped answers and looking visibly frustrated. There was no mistaking which direction his anger was pointed. He was not happy with the offense.
Ben Johnson won't tolerate poor efforts.
That is what the Bears gave on Sunday. Detroit operated like the more interested team for 75% of that game. The offense didn't have its usual juice, looking flat. While the defense had its own problems in the game, it still managed to allow only 19 points. That should be enough to win a football game with how this offense has played for the past two months. That is why Johnson was so angry and had every right to be. If this is how the unit plans to play next week against Green Bay, they can book their Cancun tickets now.
This is another reminder that Ben Johnson will not tolerate second-rate performance. He expects excellence from everybody, including himself. If he doesn't get it, he will let people hear about it. If the Bears' offense had done its job from the start, Detroit doesn't win that game. Championship teams don't have cold starts like that to games, especially at home against division rivals. Johnson wasn't going to let that slide. You can bet they'll keep hearing about it in what will probably be some spirited practices this week.
