The Chicago Bears did the job on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. It wasn’t pretty. The weather conditions were like something out of the Bible, and the first half didn’t go well for the offense. Despite it all, they overcame a 10-0 deficit in the second half by scoring 19 unanswered points. Justin Fields led the way with two touchdown passes while the defense slammed the door shut over the final 25 minutes. Jaylon Johnson, Dominique Robinson, Eddie Jackson, and Roquan Smith were all terrific down the stretch.
A big part of their success was smothering 49ers quarterback Trey Lance. He finished the day 13-of-28 for 164 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. People have blamed the bad weather for the performance, but the reality is the Bears’ defense made him uncomfortable the entire game. They sacked him twice and pressured him countless other times. While some in the media are going easy on Lance after what happened, Johnson isn’t one of them. His quote to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago was less than flattering.
“What you think he did? He ain’t do shit. We made him play quarterback. We know he hurt us in the run game with his feet, and everybody knows at some point he’s going to run and make a play. But I feel like we had to really make him play quarterback. Like I said, he’s still a young guy and I think he’ll end up being a good player for them. But it’s early. He has to go through it. I feel like we did exactly what I said we would. Make him prove himself as a quarterback.”
That line should sound eerily familiar to Bears fans.
Johnson and the defense knew Lance was a big threat with his legs. So their goal was simple: keep him in the pocket and make him beat them with his arm. That is the same line used three years ago by former Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams to describe Mitch Trubisky.
“We wanted to make Mitch play quarterback. We knew they had a lot of weapons, we knew they were dangerous, we knew all of those things. But we knew if we could make Mitch play quarterback, that we’d have a chance.”
Johnson basically called Lance a Trubisky-type quarterback. That has to sting for 49ers fans. They’d rubbed it in the faces of Bears fans for years after getting Chicago to trade up in 2017 to take Trubisky 2nd overall. The great irony is San Francisco gave up way more to get Lance last year. If Johnson’s comment holds true, that may go down as one of the worst picks in modern NFL draft history.
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Jaylon Johnson isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
The cornerback always had endless self-confidence. That is a common trait for top NFL cornerback. While he may appear quiet and reserved at first glance, don’t be fooled. He has a venomous mouth when he chooses to use it. Lance was merely his latest victim. Johnson won’t hand out respect to anybody who hasn’t earned it. If the kid wants to shed the Trubisky label, he’ll have to get much better at “being a quarterback.”
One thing is for sure. The Bears are happier than ever San Francisco chose to pass on Justin Fields. He was far more poised and under control during the game. Neither the weather nor the 49ers’ fierce pass rush broke him. He survived the storm, regrouped, and led three straight touchdown drives in the second half to win the game. Jaylon Johnson had to be loving that.
It feels like Chicago may have a complete team.
There is a long way to go. Winning one game isn’t going to prove anything in the NFL. If this team wants their respect, then they’ll have to take it. Johnson likely won’t have those same words ready for Aaron Rodgers next Sunday night.
Your ability to continue to hate on Mitch Trubisky is amazing. You won’t get off of it.
LOL
Feilds is not the best QB in that draft. That designation belongs to Mac Jones of the Patriots. Mac will have a longer career and win more. They have more stability and are a better run organization. If Im Ryan poles Im already looking for a new QB. I dont see “IT” in Fields. He will be an ok QB who will have his monents but will not win a super bowl for the Bears or anyone else.
Trey Lance will be fine. Like Fields. he will continue to develop under Shanahan in that complex system. This time, Fields and the Bears did what they had to do to win. The 49ersvpaid a price. Time will tell.
This game had a lot of issues going in, but the simple fact is J Fields outplayed T Lance and the vaunted SF defense.
Yes, Lance will be good. It’s just going to take a while. Learning on the job can be tough but it is invaluable. Lance remained calm. He’s an outstanding runner and took some serious hits and kept on going. That bodes well for his future. In the meantime, Fields has an “it” factor that just can’t be explained. The guys believe and then he made the plays necessary to get it done against a better team. I’m enjoying the ride as he keeps getting better.