Ben Johnson Sends Bold 2-Word Message on Bears Loss to Lions
The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions had a high-profile matchup on Sunday, September 14, at Ford Field in Detroit, and it turned out to be a lopsided victory for the Lions. Since former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is now heading up the Bears, people thought this game would be close and a thriller, but it turns out that it was only a thriller for those in the Motor City.
The Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears in a 52-21 victory, and it hurt. Following the game, Johnson spoke to the press, and he was obviously upset with his team’s showing, especially since this was their first game against his former team.
But, Johnson has only been working with the Chicago Bears players for a few months, so he needs more time to craft this group. Still, during his chat with the media after the game, Johnson didn’t sugarcoat anything. He was honest and upfront about how short the Bears fell in this matchup and why it hurts so much.
Ben Johnson Talks Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions came into this game more than ready, and they were coming off a big loss to the Green Bay Packers, so they were angry and ready for some redemption. The Bears were also coming off a loss, for them, against the Vikings, but just didn’t make the win happen.
Johnson’s 2-word message after the game was simple but real: “It stinks,” he said.
In full context, Johnson said, “Anytime you lose a game like that, it’s a kick in the teeth. Nothing about that feels good. These guys are hurt; it stinks.”
Johnson added, “I really didn’t even think about that a whole lot. I didn’t interact with those guys (Detroit Lions players) until walking off the field there at the end. We came in focused on winning this ballgame, and we came up way short.”
The Lions had the numbers to pull off the win. As ESPN points out, Lions quarterback Jared Goff finished “with a near perfect passer rating (156.0) while throwing for 334 yards and five touchdowns” and “wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown caught three of the scores.” Elsewhere, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passed for 207 yards and two touchdowns for Chicago. Bears’ Rome Odunze caught Williams’ scoring passes, and he finished the game with seven catches and 128 yards. Former Lions player D’Andre Swift also rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown. So, there were some bright spots for the Bears in this game.
Ben Johnson on Dan Campbell
Also during that postgame presser, Johnson was asked about Campbell and how the coach goes for it on fourth downs.
“What’s he supposed to do? It’s fourth-and-goal, what do you want him to do,” Johnson said when questioned on Campbell’s fourth-down decision. “Yeah he could have kicked the field goal. They don’t kick field goals. They go for it there. He was doing what he’s supposed to do. That’s what he does.”
Kole Noble of A to Z sports added, “Whether the intent was there to run up the score on his former coordinator or not, the reaction should still be the same. The 52-21 loss was a humiliating performance, no question about it.”
So, Johnson is starting the season 0-2 as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. Let’s hope he gets it to 1-2 after the next matchup. He has the smarts to do it, but it’s just about delivering.
Commanders Left 'SHOCKED' and 'EMBARRASSED' by Former WR's Unexpected Dominance in Preseason Loss
The Washington Commanders don’t seem like they have very much to rely on at wide receiver right now.
NFL All-Pro Terry McLaurin hasn’t taken the field in the preseason due to a contract dispute. Deebo Samuel seems like the same one-trick pony as he was with the San Francisco 49ers.
Beyond those 2, it’s a wasteland of guys who may or may not be a decent WR3 option. Not what you want for a Super Bowl contender.
What would be really nice right now is a big bodied, durable wide receiver to take on some of those duties. Someone like 6-foot-2, 205-pound Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley, who torched the Commanders to the tune of 5 receptions for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 31-17 preseason win on August 18.
The problem? The Commanders had Tinsley on their roster the last 2 seasons.
“Tinsley’s performance on Monday came in the city where his NFL career started,” CBS Sports NFL reporter John Breech wrote. “The receiver originally signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2023. After two seasons in Washington, the receiver ended up leaving the Commanders to sign with the Bengals in February. The roster in Cincinnati is stacked at receiver, so there was never any guarantee that he would make the roster, but after Monday’s performance, it seems like a safe bet that Tinsley will be sticking around in 2025.”
ESPN color commentator Troy Aikman lamented how bad it was for the Commanders to not have depth at wide receiver and get embarrassed by someone they could have kept around.
“If you’re Washington watching this guy, you’re saying, ‘Boy, we could sure use (Tinsley) right now,’ ” Aikman said during the Monday Night Football broadcast. “With the whole Terry McLaurin situation, that’s tough.”
Burrow Openly Campaigns For Tinsley On Roster
The Bengals already have the NFL’s best wide receiver in Ja’Marr Chase, who is coming off a Triple Crown win in 2024 and signed a 4-year, $161 million contract extension on March 17 that included $112 million in guaranteed money.
Cincinnati also has wide receiver Tee Higgins, who signed a 4-year, $115 million contract extension on March 17. All of that came just a few years after quarterback Joe Burrow signed a 5-year, $275 million contract extension in September 2023.
That doesn’t leave a lot of money to spend on anyone else, so getting a contribution from someone like Tinsley on a 1-year, $960,000 contract is worth its weight in gold.
“(Tinsley) has been making plays all camp,” Burrow told ESPN’s Lisa Salters during an in-game interview. “Hopefully, he’s secured a spot for us. … He’s a smart guy, knows all the positions. When you have a guy you can trust like that, it’s very valuable.”
Tinsley Only Played 2 Games in 2 Seasons
Tinsley went undrafted in 2023 after an unspectacular college career that saw him play for 3 different schools; Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College, Western Kentucky and Penn State, where he only had 51 receptions for 577 yards and 5 touchdowns in his final season.
In his first 2 NFL seasons, Tinsley barely had a chance to show what he could do — he only played in 2 regular season games in that time.
