Bears Ben Johnson ‘Disappointed’ in TV Interview, Calls Team ‘Mess’ In Win

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson expressed some regret in himself and in his team’s performance in their 25-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Johnson said he has to be better than how he acted during his halftime interview with CBS Sports reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala.

“In the moment I, honestly, I didn’t think too much of it,” Johnson told reporters of his halftime interview. “I’m kind of in game mode. But when I look back at it, I am a little bit disappointed with what that looks like. I didn’t hear very well and that’s not an excuse, but when I thought I heard, it was not a question, but I needed to make some changes, I didn’t take that very well, so I’ll do a better job with those going forward.”

In the interview, Kinkhabwala asked Johnson what his message to the team was during halftime as the Bears trailed 14-9. After Johnson responded, Kinkhabwala asked if the Bears needed to change things up, which led to the awkward moment in the interview.

“I don’t know, you think so? We’re going to be just fine,” Johnson replied in an unusual manner.

Whatever Johnson told his team at halftime worked as they were able to come back and win, with Josh Blackwell’s blocked field goal in the final minute securing the victory. But that came as the Bears’ offense struggled throughout and the defense failed to stop the run.

That led to Johnson being more blunt about what he saw after re-watching the game.

“When you look at it as a whole, it was just … it was a mess, man,” Johnson said. “I’m just not proud of what we put on tape.

“I think it was a reflection of myself. I always take it personally. I saw us getting better the first three weeks and in a lot of ways on offense and this was just a little bit of a step back for us.”

The Bears ran for only 2.7 yards per carry while giving up 7.7 yards per rush. They couldn’t block Maxx Crosby and switched tackles, pulling left-side starter Braxton Jones and inserting rookie Ozzy Trapilo into the lineup at right tackle while moving Theo Benedet to left tackle.

However, the Bears intercepted Raiders quarterback Geno Smith three times in Sunday’s game, which was enough to help them limit the damage from Las Vegas’ run game.

“End of the day, the most important thing is limiting the opposing offense in the number of points scored,” Johnson said. “If that means that we’re giving up some rushing yards, but yet we’re keeping them low on the scoreboard, we’ll manage with that.

“No one likes seeing 6 yards, 7 yards per carry. That’s not what Chicago Bears football is about. That’s not what we want to be about. So we’re working very diligently on getting better in that regard.”

Caleb Williams helped the Bears come back and beat the Raiders. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

What also worked was Caleb Williams in comeback mode. His 22 of 37 effort for 212 yards included a final drive for D’Andre Swift’s go-ahead, 2-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes. Williams’ performance in the clutch made up for defensive flaws and running game trouble.

Williams was solid in the two-minute offense. He drove the Bears 37 yards to a field goal at the end of the first half and then the winning touchdown.

“So it’s almost like that little bit of pressure you put on him. He just thrives in and he really excels,” Johnson said. “That’s been consistent ever since we came into this building.

“So I’m not surprised it turned out that way. He was really good at the end of the first half. He was really good at the end of the game.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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