CHICAGO, Ill., — Monday night was the start of the Ben Johnson era for the Chicago Bears after hiring the head coach this offseason. Following another dismal year in 2024, the Bears hope that Johnson can turn things around for this franchise.
But it's off to a rocky start.
The Bears held a 17-6 lead over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 before allowing 21 unanswered points to their NFC North foe. The Vikings took control of the game in the fourth quarter, backed on the play of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who had three touchdowns in the final 15 minutes. Chicago was stunned and instead of an exciting opener to celebrate, they left that game with more questions than answers.
The play of quarterback Caleb Williams is front and center in that debate. He was really good to start the game, completing his first 10 passes and leading the Bears to a 10-6 halftime lead. But as the game went on, Williams regressed and struggled with things that we saw were a problem all of last season. It's one game but there wasn't much of an improvement at least early on in this new campaign.
With Minnesota stealing a game in the Windy City, the Bears now shift their focus to Week 2 and the Detroit Lions. It will be the first road game of the year for the Bears and it comes against Johnson's former team. But before we fully shift the focus there, let's take a look at my extra points from Monday's loss to the Vikings.
Make sure to check back with the Bear Report for complete coverage of Week 2 and the rest of the season moving forward.
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