The Chicago Bears found a way to win once again on Sunday, overcoming a 20-10 deficit in the 4th quarter to stun the New York Giants 24-20. Ben Johnson once again leaned on Caleb Williams, who rallied the offense in the nick of time. Part of the problem throughout the game was the receiving corps. Chicago had no fewer than six official dropped passes, and a case can be made for two others. Those blunders disrupted the offense's rhythm all day, costing the team crucial points. Thankfully, it ended up not mattering.
However, Johnson doesn't seem to have forgotten about it. The biggest culprit during that sloppy affair was Olamide Zacchaeus. He was responsible for three of the six drops, including one where he was wide open in the end zone. He has 32 catches on 58 targets this season, making it pretty clear he has a tough time bringing in the football. Johnson indicated that a shift in the lineup might be coming when he was asked about the ascending play of rookie wide receiver Luther Burden.
Ben Johnson is finally forced to face reality.
He's given Zacchaeus nine games to establish himself as a viable receiving threat. Nobody disputes the receiver can get open, but it doesn't matter if he can't catch the football with any consistency. Meanwhile, Burden has 16 catches on just 18 targets, almost as many yards as Zacchaeus and the same number of touchdowns (1). One guy is maximizing his opportunities. The other is wasting them. At some point, the head coach must do what is right for the team.
In this case, for Ben Johnson, that means scaling back Zacchaeus' targets and giving them to Burden. Decisions like this are never easy, but that is why Johnson gets paid the big bucks. When tough decisions arise, you must do what is best for the team. Currently, that is giving more chances to the player earning them. Zacchaeus has nobody to blame but himself. He had every opportunity. Probably more than he should've. This is on him.
