Johnson on losing streak: “We don’t find ways to win” |
CHICAGO—Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson did not enjoy speaking with the media on Monday after Chicago’s fifth straight loss of the season.
His frustration was clear in his voice as he discussed the Bears’ overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings. “We don’t find ways to win,” Johnson said. “None of this is ideal … I don’t walk (around) here with a smile on my face. Ain’t nothing to be happy about. So, obviously my frustration is at a high. Everybody’s frustration is at a high.” Ultimately, the defense won this game in overtime once the Bears were forced to punt after a three-and-out. Chicago then allowed Minnesota to march almost 70 yards down the field and kick a game-winning field goal. Johnson said that kind of performance is not a problem with the defense's mentality but rather their execution. “It’s not a mentality. It’s just strictly execution. At the end of the day, we got to find ways to get put in the right position and ways to execute,” Johnson said. “For different reasons, we find ways to not execute when it counts and we just got to figure out a way whether it’s physically, mentally, whatever it is. We got to get put in the right position. We got to execute.” In addition to the missed plays and lack of execution from the defense, Johnson also had two pass-interference penalties. One of them negated an interception by safety Jonathan Owens, who has yet to record a pick this season. Johnson did not agree with either of the calls. “At the end of the day, the calls didn’t go my way,” Johnson said. “They had their reasons for calling it and it is what it is.” Perhaps the Bears' one bright side was rookie quarterback Caleb Williams' performance. His numbers were some of the best of the season. His accuracy on his passes has been noticeably better since Thoams Brown took over as offensive coordinator. Williams seems to offer some hope regarding Chicago's future seasons. However, Johnson does not see it that way. “He can’t win the damn game by himself. So, it’s not about Caleb. It’s not. Of course, we need and want him to play good. We need and want everybody to play good,” Johnson said. “So, him having a good performance for two weeks straight doesn’t give me hope for the future because we all got to win. It takes all 11 guys on the field to win.” Brown, Williams, and the rest of the offense face quite the challenge in the Detroit Lions. However, this will probably be a bigger test for Johnson and the rest of the defense. Lions quarterback Jared Goff has performed like an MVP candidate, while their double-headed monsters in the run game, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, are arguably the best running back duo in the league. Particularly given Chicago’s struggles against the run, Montgomery and Gibbs may take advantage of the Bears’ weak run defense. Johnson has faced the Lions seven times during his career as a Chicago Bear. In those games, he has seven passes defended which is the most he has against any opponent. Furthermore, one of his three forced fumbles in his career came against Detroit. That is the kind of performance the Bears will need out of him preparing to face the Lions who may be the best team in the league.
