Everything Ben Johnson Had To Say After Thrilling Comeback Win Over Commanders
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Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears were able to escape with a 25-24 win over the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football
Have you caught your breath yet? If you haven’t, it’s totally understandable, because to paraphrase something my dad — a lifelong Chicago Bears fan — said late in last night’s game versus the Washington Commanders, this team can take years off of your life.
But hey, at least as we wake up on this wonderful Tuesday morning, we do so knowing that the Bears were on the winning end of one of these nail-biters for the second consecutive time this season, a nice reversal of fortune after Chicago somehow lost 27 of these games in the 2024 season alone.
Credit goes to this team, a truly resilient bunch that has taken multiple steps forward in changing people’s perception of this franchise over their last two wins, and the coaching staff, led by Ben Johnson, which has clearly come in and done one hell of a job getting this team ready to play and reestablishing the culture in the Bears locker room.
With that said, it’s time to give the floor to Ben Johnson, who stepped up to the podium following the 25-24 win.
Ben Johnson’s Opening Statement… “That was a really good team win here. That’s a really good opponent that we went against in a very hostile environment. I thought all three phases came through for us when needed. It was not our cleanest game, we made a number of mistakes and penalties were an issue, but once again, our team was resilient and they found a way to win, so I’m very proud of them.”
Resilient is the key word here, because for all of the things you could call the 2024 Chicago Bears — frustrating, disappointing and cursed are the three words that first come to mind — ‘resilient’ was not one of those words. But man, it’s only been five games, but you can tell by the way this team plays that they’ve taken on the personality of their head coach already.
Johnson on Dennis Allen’s gameplan and the defensive performance… “I thought defensively the takeaways were huge for us, I thought Dennis Allen and the defensive staff did a phenomenal job coming up with a sound game plan. That’s a very difficult offense to try to have answers for, and yet they were able to come up with something we felt good about and then the guys went out an executed it.”
For the record, Chicago, the league’s worst rushing defense heading into this game, held Washington, the league’s best rushing offense heading into this game, to just 124 yards on 30 carries. That’s only 4 yards per rush. Hat’s off to Dennis Allen, the defensive staff and most importantly, the Bears defense for playing an absolutely inspired game on that side of the ball.
Johnson on Jake Moody’s last-minute call-up and if it was a surprise to see his game-winning kick go in… “I wasn’t surprised at all. We’ve seen him in practice now for a number of weeks. We know what he’s capable of. He’s made big kicks in big games over the course of his career, so none of it was surprising. I think that’s who he is and that change of scenery was good for him.”
I was surprised. When the Bears recovered the late 4th quarter Jayden Daniels fumble, my immediate thought was, ‘Oh God, please don’t let this game come down to Jake Moody.’ But props to Moody, one of the most accomplished collegiate kickers of the 21st century, for coming in and delivering in less-than-ideal conditions.
Johnson on giving game balls to Jake Moody and D’Andre Swift… “Moody came through for us, I mean four field goals. We needed every point we could get. Getting called up last second, that was huge for us. Swift got the other one. Over 100 yards rushing for him, season-high, and seven-plus yards per carry. That last drive was a lot of Swift there, finding a little crease and getting us into field goal range.”
Nothing to add. But if you’re like me and you love seeing the scenes from the winning locker room after a game, I advise you watch the video below.
Johnson on D’Andre Swift’s impact…
For my money, this was the best and most impactful performance I’ve seen from D’Andre Swift in a Chicago Bears uniform, and that’s not just because of the 55-yard reception that breathed life back into the Bears. As Ben Johnson noted, there was a physicality with the way Swift was carrying the rock that was exactly what you want to see out of him.
Johnson on all facets of the Bears rushing attack, and the decision to go run-heavy on the final drive… “It wasn’t only Swift. We felt good about how our guys up front were blocking. I thought that was the cleanest they’ve played as a whole. Tight ends included, our receivers were blocking really well. Going into that last drive, I was thinking this is gonna be it for us. So with that being said, I wanted to be sure they didn’t have a rebuttal drive. So I told Caleb on the headset, tell the big guys up front we’re gonna ride the run game to the victory.”
Smashmouth Chicago Bears football, baby!
Ben Johnson Discusses the Collective Psyche of the Chicago Bears
Johnson on how Caleb Williams handled his D.C. homecoming… “He was locked in. He was all about trying to find a way to win this game and do a good job for him teammates, so really proud of how he handled the week.”
I know some of the numbers might say otherwise, but I thought Caleb Williams was the better of the two quarterbacks on the field last night. And something really strange happened late in the 4th quarter — I felt completely comfortable with the ball in Caleb Williams’ hands late in the game, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever been able to say about a Bears quarterback.
Johnson on returning to the scene of the Fail Mary… “We didn’t talk about it as a team. What’s in the past is in the past. I wasn’t here, probably half the team wasn’t here. We’ve all moved passed that, and I think they understand that. I know some guys spoke on it and gave their two cents, but beyond that it wasn’t a big deal.”
Let me tell you, it was a big deal to me. It’s bad enough that all week long I couldn’t get that damn play out of my head, then they had to show it on the Monday Night Football broadcast? And then the game came down to the last play again, for the second straight year? It was like some sort of sick joke, but this time, there was actually a punchline that I enjoyed.
Johnson on the Bears mindset in close games… “I think it says a lot about our locker room right now. They’re not just believing, but now they’re starting to understand, if this thing’s close in the 4th quarter then someone’s gonna step up and make a play for us, and we had a number of guys here in this 4th quarter that did that. I think these wins sometimes can go a longer way for your program than those blowouts do.”
Ben Johnson is right, and you know what? Even if my dad is right, and it’s true that this game trimmed some time off of the back-end of my life, I’m glad that this was the manner in which the Bears won in Washington.
Eagles coaches throw support behind Jalyx Hunt
The Eagles were already thin at the outside linebacker position, with Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo on IR, and then Za’ Darius Smith unexpectedly announced his retirement after the team’s Week 6 loss. That leaves Jalyx Hunt, Patrick Johnson, Azeez Ojulari, and Joshua Uche manning the outside.
Patrick Johnson just recorded his first career sack in last Thursday night’s game, Ojulari was inactive for the first four games and didn’t get live reps until the Eagles played the Broncos, and Uche has 13 tackles in six games. While all those guys might be capable, Jalyx Hunt has the highest expectations to step up into a bigger role with this opportunity. That hasn’t happened just yet, but head coach Nick Sirianni and DC Vic Fangio both still have confidence in the young OLB.
“SIRIANNI: As far as my confidence in the guys there on that defensive line, a lot of confidence in them. A lot of guys that have played. Young guy in Jalyx [Hunt] who’s continuing to get better each and every week. My confidence in him is so high. And then you’ve got guys that have played a lot of football, and I’m excited about those guys and continuing to help them get better within our schemes.
So yeah, I like that position. I like the depth that we have at that position.“
Fangio shared similar sentiments when asked about the edge depth and concerns. He explained that it would be great to get more players at just about every position, but ultimately he’s happy with the guys already on the roster and thinks some are capable of stepping up with this opportunity. Hunt specifically is someone the DC feels is a good young player who continues to improve.
“FANGIO: I think he’s a good young player who’s improving all the time and we’re happy to have [Jalyx Hunt]. I think he’s playing good overall.“
Hunt has accounted for 14 total tackles, including five QB hits, through six games and has been impactful at times this season.
Despite his quick accession during the Eagles Super Bowl run last year, it’s important to keep in context that Hunt is only in his second season after a college career at Houston Christian University. He was able to develop faster than expected as a rookie, but is still someone who is learning his role and honing his details and technique.
There’s a few weeks left until the league’s trade deadline, and it wouldn’t be surprising for Howie Roseman to bring someone in to help on the edge — Fangio also mentioned the possibility of moving rookie Jihaad Campbell to the outside. But for now, it’ll be up to Hunt and the other guys on the roster to figure things out.
