Skip to main content
Advertising

Ben Johnson: Bears' first-team offense played 'really sloppy football' in preseason finale

Ben Johnson wrapped up his first preseason as Bears head coach on Friday night with a win over Kansas City, but he wasn't satisfied at all

Despite going undefeated in the preseason (2-0-1), including wins over the most recent AFC Championship Game participants, Johnson remains fixated on the underperformance of Chicago's offense.

"Offensively, the first two possessions were really sloppy football that has plagued us in and out of camp so far and unfortunately that is what we got here tonight," Johnson said after the Bears' 29-27 victory over the Chiefs. "There were a number of things we could have done a better job of."

The "sloppy" offense was led by 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, with whom Johnson has spent the last seven months building a rapport that will be critical to Chicago's success in 2025 and beyond.

The Bears' first two possessions lasted just nine plays, went 22 yards and produced only one first down. Chicago punted twice, and Kansas City twice responded with points.

Among the slop: Williams fumbled the very first snap on a mistimed jet sweep. Bears rookie Colston Loveland followed that play with a false start. After a first down on the second drive, Williams was sacked on a second-and-3. The following third down attempt went nowhere.

"It is disappointing to me offensively for sure because I thought we kind of worked our way out of that," Johnson explained. "I am still learning this group as well. This is our first time on the road, and we were going to find out what kind of road team we were going to be. If the first quarter was any indication, it was not good enough. We have to get better in a hurry.

"The good news is we are going to be able to look at this tape and coach it up with our guys. It is out of our system hopefully for us going into the regular season. We have to make sure we start faster on offense and on defense."

Williams and the Bears offense did respond on the ensuing two drives with 139 yards in 19 plays, eight first downs and 10 points -- the QB finished 11-of-15 passing on the night for 113 yards and a touchdown pass to Rome Odunze -- but the slow start was Johnson's main takeaway.

For all the fun and games of the Bears coach's creative play calls during his time as Lions offensive coordinator, Johnson has so far proven to be a hard-nosed stickler in his evaluation of Chicago's offense.

Johnson used the same word -- "sloppy" -- to describe the Bears offense's performance during their Family Fest at Soldier Field on Aug. 4. He was particularly bothered by Chicago's delay of game issues, reflective of Williams' lack of urgency in and out of the huddle.

On Friday, the Bears coach was more concerned with Williams holding onto the ball too long in the pocket.

"Last week was a really good start for us. This week wasn't quite the same, it didn't feel like," Johnson said. "We will take a look at that, and we will see what we need to address with it."

Despite Chicago's supposed issues on offense, Johnson doesn't expect to pare down his playbook ahead of the Bears' Week 1 opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. It's full steam ahead of Williams and Co.

"We will have the right amount of volume so that we can stress the defense. Not only in Week 1 but throughout the season," Johnson said. "We have to be able to execute it. That is a decision we will make. We have plenty of time to assess what has gone on over the last few weeks and what direction we have to go here for the opening game."

Related Content