Bears HC Ben Johnson has finally started getting a key position group going and it’s giving the team a physical edge on offense
The tight ends are starting to come to life in Chicago.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has absolutely transformed the culture for this organization and it only took 10 games for the national media to really see the difference taking place with this team that improved to 7-3 in Week 11.
The best part is that the Bears have yet to play their best football. Which is especially the case for Johnson’s offense, but you can see all of the pieces falling into place for what he wants to do.
Johnson’s offense is built on being a physical unit and then using that mindset to create explosive plays in both the pass and run game. It’s taken some time to get some position groups gelling, but the unit is starting to play with some real physicality at the right time. One position in particular has started catching Johnson’s attention after Sunday’s win.
Ben Johnson was thrilled with the production from the TE position in Week 11 win
“I’m really happy with where this group is right now,” Johnson said of the TEs on his interview with Jeff Joniak on ESPN Chicago. “It’s not just this week, it’s the last few weeks. I think there’s an argument that they’re the most consistent position group on our offense right now.”
Outside of the offensive line, this is the position that really took some time to get going this season, and it’s a tough position with a lot of expectations on every single play when it comes to blocking assignments in the run game and being a factor in the passing attack.
At the beginning of the year, fans were justifiably frustrated with the lack of involvement from the tight ends and especially with first-round rookie Colston Loveland. Finally, in Week 9, Loveland had his breakout moment against the Cincinnati Bengals as a dangerous pass catcher and has been impressing more with his blocking ability over the last few weeks.
Sunday was Kmet’s time to really shine and he made the most of his opportunities, both as a pass catcher and as a blocker. Kmet led the team with five receptions and 45 receiving yards against the Vikings while playing like an absolute bulldozer in both facets of the game.
He wasn’t alone either in the usage on Sunday. Loveland still played 75 percent of the offensive snaps and added three receptions for 40 yards. Even Durham Smythe got involved more playing 16 snaps and getting his first reception of the season that he turned into eight yards. Pro Football Focus listed Loveland (80.0) and Kmet (79.7) has the highest graded offensive players for the Bears.
“It’s great to see them come to life,” Johnson added. “You feel their physical presence… You feel the whole sideline around you start to erupt. It gives you momentum.”
These guys are playing their tails off for the Bears’ offense and playing with a more of a physical edge that allows Johnson to call the offense the way he envisions it. And just like with the rest of the offense, we still haven’t seen these guys at their absolute best yet.
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Caleb Williams’ post-game reaction after Week 11 shows the exact kind of mindset he needs to have after another close win
He should be happy with the result but frustrated by the process.
