On Sunday, Chicago Bears fans got to see the team in action during the yearly Family Fest. While excitement was surely in the air, the Bears offense didn’t live up to the hype at times.
Overall, Chicago just seemed out of sync. There were flashy plays, but the Bears lacked cohesion. Their struggles were lowlighted most by numerous delay of game penalties. Chicago was forced to burn a timeout when quarterback Caleb Williams left the huddle late, via Jason Leiser of the Chicago Sun-Times. All-in-all, the Bears did not look like a team ready to take the league by storm offensively.
Head coach Ben Johnson wasn’t afraid to call his team out. He understands that installing an offense as dynamic as he is plotting will take some time to master. But by Family Fest, he was expecting to see his offense moving forward rather than stumbling back, via the team’s Sunday press conference.
“We got some good work in. It was sloppy, sloppier than we were hoping we would be at this point,” Johnson said. “We had a couple of really good practices over the last two, and then took us a little while to get going and the pads clicking. But thought towards the end we picked it up, got pretty competitive there.”
“Whether we’re making the same mistake twice or not. I felt like I saw that a couple times today,” he continued. “I know that saturation level has gotten there with these guys, they’re pretty filled up to the brim with information. But at the same time, the installs are slowing down, so we do expect the execution to be a little bit cleaner as we from here on out.”
The delay of game penalties showed continued mental lapses for Chicago. As the Bears learn to succeed in Johnson’s offense, the head coach knows they must lock in their pre-snap fundamentals to win games.
“It’s something we’re going to have to address for sure,” Johnson said. “It showed up more today than it has in practice. This was more like a real game. If it continues like that, we’re not going to win many games.”
Chicago Bears relying on Ben Johnson guidance
Despite their sloppy play on Sunday, the Bears remain confident in Johnson’s vision for the team. Chicago decided to go all-in on Williams over the offseason. The franchise’s first step was hiring Johnson as head coach.
During his tenure as Detroit Lions offense coordinator, he helped the franchise reach new heights. In the 2024 campaign, the Lions ranked second in total offense, averaging 409.5 yards per game. In turn, the Bears ranked dead last, averaging 284.6 YPG.
It would be quite the turnaround for Chicago to join Detroit’s ranks in year one under Johnson. But the head coach is setting the foundation for a true offensive revival in the Windy City. He has been adamant about his goal of helping Williams become the first Bears quarterback to surpass 4,000 passing yards. Furthermore, he has sung the praises of the team’s crop of talented playmakers.
But if things aren’t going right, Johnson isn’t going to sugarcoat the issue. He understands how bad things have gotten in Chicago and has put his foot down to begin his tenure. Johnson believes in the Bears and knows they’re riding a strong wave of offensive momentum. But Sunday’s practice session shows the team still has plenty of fix before taking on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1.
Ben Johnson reveals initial Chicago Bears playmaking totem pole
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