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Dallas Co Farmers Exchange – Buffalo, Fair Grove, Urbana |
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09/15 17:16 CDT Ben Johnson facing challenges on both sides of the ball in his
first year as Bears coach
Ben Johnson facing challenges on both sides of the ball in his first year as
Bears coach
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) --- Ben Johnson's return to Detroit turned into a nightmare for
the Chicago Bears and their new coach.
A day after getting embarrassed 52-21 by the Lions, the Bears insisted Monday
they can get themselves pointed in the right direction after two gut-punch
losses to start the season.
"Go back to work, man, that's what we have to do," running back D'Andre Swift
said. "Nobody's walking around with their head down or anything like that."
The Bears (0-2) have little reason to hold their heads high at the moment.
After blowing an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter of their opener against
Minnesota at Soldier Field, they got embarrassed at Detroit.
Quarterback Caleb Williams cooled off after a strong start, and the offense
went from scoring on its first drive for the second straight week to going
nowhere. The defense got blown away by Jared Goff and the Lions, giving up more
than 500 yards and nearly setting a franchise record for points allowed.
"We came into the game with a plan in how we want to contain these explosive
athletes and we just didn't do a good enough job at the end of the day," said
Johnson, who was hired by the Bears after a successful stint as Detroit's
offensive coordinator. "I think it starts with how we play, less so about the
scheme or anything like that. But our play style really needs to stand out in a
more positive fashion going forward."
The Bears might have had a worse day in Detroit than they did on Thanksgiving
last year, when former coach Matt Eberflus froze rather than call a timeout in
the closing seconds. Chicago fired him the next day, the first time the
founding NFL franchise let a coach go during a season.
The Bears will see Eberflus for the first time since then when they host Dallas
on Sunday. He is the Cowboys' defensive coordinator.
What's working The Bears involved their running backs more after getting little from them against Minnesota last week. Swift --- the only running back to carry the ball in the opener --- ran for 63 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts. Rookie Kyle Monangai had seven carries for 28 yards. Chicago had 134 yards rushing in all after finishing with 119 in the opener.
What needs help The Bears have allowed 73 points over the past five quarters. The 52 points allowed against Detroit were three shy of the franchise record and the most since they were beaten 55-14 by Green Bay in Week 10 of the 2014 season. And now, Chicago could be without two-time Pro Bowl CB Jaylon Johnson (groin) and LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring).
Stock up WR Rome Odunze. The second-year pro set career highs with seven receptions for 128 yards and matched one with two touchdowns. He is tied with Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown for the league lead with three TD catches after hauling in three in 17 games as a rookie.
Stock down Williams. The Bears are counting on Williams to take big strides in his second season. So far, it's looking like more of the same for last year's No. 1 overall draft pick. Williams finished 19 of 30 for 207 yards with the two TDs to Odunze and was sacked four times. Williams completed 9 of 11 passes with a score in the first quarter, only to fade after a strong start for the second week in a row.
Injuries The Bears were still evaluating Jaylon Johnson after he was hurt breaking up a pass intended for St. Brown early in the second quarter. Ben Johnson had no details on how much time he might miss, though he did say it's a different groin injury than the one that caused him to miss training camp, the preseason and season opener. ... Ben Johnson said Edwards and CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) are week to week.
Key number 20 --- The Bears committed eight penalties for 50 yards against Detroit, giving them 20 for 177 yards through two games. They're tied for third in penalties and are third in the league in penalty yards.
Next steps The Bears host Dak Prescott and the Cowboys on Sunday. Dallas bounced back from a wild loss to Philadelphia by beating the New York Giants in overtime, with Brandon Aubrey nailing a 64-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and then kicking a 46-yarder as time expired in OT. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
What's working The Bears involved their running backs more after getting little from them against Minnesota last week. Swift --- the only running back to carry the ball in the opener --- ran for 63 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts. Rookie Kyle Monangai had seven carries for 28 yards. Chicago had 134 yards rushing in all after finishing with 119 in the opener.
What needs help The Bears have allowed 73 points over the past five quarters. The 52 points allowed against Detroit were three shy of the franchise record and the most since they were beaten 55-14 by Green Bay in Week 10 of the 2014 season. And now, Chicago could be without two-time Pro Bowl CB Jaylon Johnson (groin) and LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring).
Stock up WR Rome Odunze. The second-year pro set career highs with seven receptions for 128 yards and matched one with two touchdowns. He is tied with Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown for the league lead with three TD catches after hauling in three in 17 games as a rookie.
Stock down Williams. The Bears are counting on Williams to take big strides in his second season. So far, it's looking like more of the same for last year's No. 1 overall draft pick. Williams finished 19 of 30 for 207 yards with the two TDs to Odunze and was sacked four times. Williams completed 9 of 11 passes with a score in the first quarter, only to fade after a strong start for the second week in a row.
Injuries The Bears were still evaluating Jaylon Johnson after he was hurt breaking up a pass intended for St. Brown early in the second quarter. Ben Johnson had no details on how much time he might miss, though he did say it's a different groin injury than the one that caused him to miss training camp, the preseason and season opener. ... Ben Johnson said Edwards and CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) are week to week.
Key number 20 --- The Bears committed eight penalties for 50 yards against Detroit, giving them 20 for 177 yards through two games. They're tied for third in penalties and are third in the league in penalty yards.
Next steps The Bears host Dak Prescott and the Cowboys on Sunday. Dallas bounced back from a wild loss to Philadelphia by beating the New York Giants in overtime, with Brandon Aubrey nailing a 64-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and then kicking a 46-yarder as time expired in OT. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
