Ben Johnson didn’t have his best game as a play caller, and the game plan on both sides of the ball left something to be desired, but as they’ve done in four of their six wins this season, the Chicago Bears came back and won a game that they never would have under previous regimes.
The culture change is real.
When asked how he’d weigh their strong finish aganst their poor play early in the game, Johnson talked about his team’s resiliency.
“The good news about it is our guys are starting to — I shouldn’t say starting to — they have this belief that we’re going to find a way in the fourth quarter, provided it’s somewhat close, we’re going to find a way to come out on top of this thing and it’s week in and week out, they’re proven that.”
There’s still plenty of room for this team to grow, but they’ve all bought in. So, do you believe the team’s culture is different?
“Now we’d like to take it to the next step as a football team, to where we’re up by a score or two in the fourth quarter early on, and we can we can shut the teams out that way, but that’s hopefully next week,” Johnson said. “We’ll take them as they come, but once again, we found a way to win, and that’s the most important thing.“
In yesterday’s game the Bears were outgained 431 to 391 by the New York Giants, but the Bears didn’t turn the ball over, while forcing a fumble of their own, and for the first time all season, the Bears were flagged less than their opponent (10 for 69 by N.Y to just 3 for 25 from Chicago).
Neither team was good on third down, with the Giants at 35.7% and Chicago at 27.3%, and each team was just 1 for 4 on fourth downs.
**Let’s look at the Bears’ playing time breakdowns and a few individual stats from the game.**
Caleb Williams’ final stat line isn’t going in the Louvre, but this was one of the best games of his young career. He made plays when he needed to and did what a franchise quarterback is suposed to do.
If anyone is crapping on what Williams did on Sunday, he either doesn’t know ball, is a troll, or has some other agenda he’s trying to push.
Caleb’s completion percentage (55%) was hurt by the Bears’ six drops, which according to Pro Fotball Focus is the most drops in any game this season. That said, this was a nice game by the two Chicago rookie receivers, tight end Colston Loveland and wideout Luther Burden III. Loveland may have the best hands on the team, and Burden’s run after catch ability is evident.
The running game wasn’t as exploisve as the last few weeks, but the running backs only had twenty carries between them.
C.J. Johnson-Gardner led the Bears with 9 tackles, he had 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. He’s made impact plays in consecutive games and has yet to taste defeat in the Navy and Orange.
> **Good stuff from Ben Johnson on C.J. Gardner-Johnson:** “You get football taken away from you, which he felt like, the last couple months that’s his story, and now he’s here with a bunch of guys rooting for him, and he’s grateful for the opportunity. It gives you just a greater sense of appreciation. He’s always been a phenomenal football player. I think he’s found a good home here in Chicago. Our guys are gravitating towards his swagger, his play making ability. I think he’s quickly becoming one of us. Certainly not surprised by his performance. I’ve seen it for a long time now.”
Tremaine Edmunds had 7 tackles, a TFL, a QB hit, and 2 passes defended.
Montez Sweat continued his hot play with 3 tackles, a TFL, and 1.5 sacks.
Austin Booker had 4 tackles and 3 QBH.
Gervon Dexter Sr. had 4 tackles and a half a sack.
Andrew Billings had 4 tackles and 2 TFL.
Kevin Byard III had 6 tackles.
Nahshon Wright had 3 tackles, 2 PD, and a fumble recovery.
Cairo Santos hit all 3 extra points and a 22 yard field goal.
Tory Taylor had 3 punts good for a 45.0 average with 1 inside the twenty, but two touchbacks dropped his net average to 31.7. This was the fist game of Taylor’s career with more than one touchback.
Devin Duvernay had a 13 yard punt return and 46 yards on 2 kickoff returns.
**To check out the complete Bears vs. Giants box score, I find** [**ESPN’**](https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401772875)**[s site](https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401772875) is easy to navigate.**
_All statistics and snap counts, as well as the accompanying pictures, are taken directly from the NFL’s Game Statistic and Information System._