Bears HC Ben Johnson keeps it real with his postgame message despite pulling out another close win in Week 10
The Bears continue to find ways to win close games.
There’s no apologizing for winning in the NFL. It’s something Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has said multiple times the last few weeks, with the Bears improving to 6-3, and winning six of the last seven games after Week 10.
Yet, how the Bears have been winning has been suspect, especially considering the quality of opponents they have faced. But wins are still wins in this league, and you can’t control who you play or how an individual team plays any given Sunday.
At the same time, four of the team’s last six wins were decided late in the fourth quarter by one score. It’s an encouraging sight for this specific team and changing the narrative in the building, but the message still remains the same.
“Our guys have this belief that we’re going to find a way,” Johnson told reporters after Sunday’s win. “In the fourth quarter, provided it’s somewhat close, we’re going to find a way to come out on top. It’s week in and week out they’re proving that.
“Now, we’d like to take it to the next step as a football team to where we’re up by a score or two in the fourth quarter early on, and we shut the teams out that way. That’s hopefully next week. We’ll take them as they come. Once again, we found a way to win, and that’s the most important thing.”
Ben Johnson is still encouraged by the team’s growth despite all the close wins
“Yeah, I do see us getting better each and every week. Even though it might not look that way when you’re necessarily watching the game,” Johnson explained. “There’s growth each and every week, right now. We gotta continue to get better.”
Offensively, the Bears made some strides in key areas. Johnson noted the unit played clean in terms of holding onto the football, kept the penalty count down, and finished in the red zone (the latter two being big improvements as of late). Defensively, when it mattered, the unit held up in the red zone and managed to close out the game.
Really, the only major issue on Sunday was the drops on offense that killed momentum, stalled drives, and even took some points off the board. But even Johnson isn’t overly worried about that.
“If it had been popping up in the course of practice, I would be more concerned,” Johnson said of the drops. “As of right now, I think that’s an anomaly and something that we’ll certainly talk about and address. I don’t think that’s really who we are.”
The Bears are a team that’s finding a way to win and is committed to playing its best football in December because that’s when the rest of the schedule gets daunting. Of the remaining seven opponents, five have winning records, including four divisional games left to be played.
“I think we’re going to be just fine,” Johnson said. “Each week is its own story. I keep saying that. Just because we play well one week, doesn’t mean it carries over. Just because we play poorly one week, doesn’t mean that carries over either. End of the day, we just need to continue to find ways to win.”
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