Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is good at what he does. He’s whipped this team into shape over the past year. However, like any human being, he has his faults. One of them is that, when it comes to coaching, there is an occasional tendency to spread the ball around too much, instead of getting it in the hands of his best players. That came back to bite him in a bad way on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Trailing 6-3 in the 4th quarter, the Bears were driving towards a potential score. Caleb Williams then fired a pass to rookie tight end Sam Roush over the middle.
Had he held onto the ball, it was almost a guarantee he would reach the end zone. Instead, Roush dropped the ball as the Vikings made contact. It was a brutal missed opportunity, especially since the ensuing field-goal attempt a few plays later was blocked because Roush missed his man. That was pretty much the decisive moment of the game. What makes it even worse is that Roush was targeted at all. Where were Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet? They’ve been the ones making the big plays for you since last year. How does Roush get 3 targets in this game, and those two only get 4 combined?
Ben Johnson outsmarted himself with this one.
It’s been obvious for months that the head coach was the biggest proponent of drafting Roush in the 3rd round this past April. He loved the kid’s blocking and upside as a reliable pass-catcher. Nothing wrong with that. Yet choosing to feature him in such a tight game against a well-coached defense this early in the season felt unnecessarily reckless. Several opportunities were squandered because of that decision. While there is nothing wrong with giving Johnson credit for his successes, he’s earned some serious criticism this time.
Now, with Williams likely out for multiple games with a hamstring problem, Ben Johnson must find a way to keep the training on track. He won’t have the incredible playmaking at quarterback. This will be the Tyson Bagent show. In situations like this, the smart thing to do is have the backup focus on getting the ball to the playmakers. That means Loveland, Kmet, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and D’Andre Swift. Roush may develop into something more with enough time, but it’s pretty clear he is not nearly reliable enough in big spots.
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This feels like familiar territory for the Bears.
Going into week 3 last season, things looked bleak. They’d just gotten stomped 52-21 in Detroit. The defense was a mess, and the offense couldn’t find any consistency. Last year, they righted themselves with a big win over the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, the test this time is much steeper. They won’t have Williams, and the Philadelphia Eagles are a better team than that Cowboys one was. Their defense has played very well to start the season, and quarterback Jalen Hurts is in an early groove.
This won’t be like last season when the Bears caught them by surprise with that 24-15 win in Philadelphia. That team will be out for revenge. Johnson is smart enough to know that and must have his guys ready. He must also stop with the constant personnel tinkering and stick to what this offense does best. Run the ball and feed the good tight ends. Don’t give Roush playing time until he’s properly earned it. After what we saw on Sunday, that may take a while.
