The Chicago Bears had a bit of a rough end to their preseason schedule. For their final game against the Kansas City Chiefs, new head coach Ben Johnson had his offensive starters start for the first few drives. Instead of an easy stomp against the KC backups, Caleb Williams and the offense struggled a bit to start the game.
The culprit? Some mental lapses from the offense. While the Bears first-string offense was able to wrestle control back, Johnson was not pleased with the “sloppiness” they displayed, especially after their great Week 2 game. After the game, the head coach did not shy away from calling out their sloppy play.
“Offensively, the first two possessions were really sloppy football that has plagued us in and out of camp so far, and unfortunately, that is what we got here tonight,” Johnson said, per Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com. “There were a number of things we could have done a better job of.”
Johnson expressed his disappointment with the first-stringers. While he's still getting used to his new team, the Bears coach said that they need to get better quick.
“It is disappointing to me offensively for sure because I thought we kind of worked our way out of that,” Johnson said. “I am still learning this group as well. This is our first time on the road, and we were going to find out what kind of road team we were going to be. If the first quarter was any indication, it was not good enough. We have to get better in a hurry.
The Bears' first two drives with Williams under center started off poorly. They punted both times and got a first down only once. What made things worse were the mistakes. A botched handoff by Williams on a routine jet sweep, a false start called on rookie Colston Loveland, and a crucial sack on the second drive killed any momentum they could have generated.
Williams and the Bears' offense were able to right the ship after. The next two drives saw the Bears score 10 points, including a touchdown pass caught by Rome Odunze. Despite that, Johnson is focused on that slow start, and for good reason. On the road, a great first drive is crucial to success for the visiting team. It doesn't have to be a touchdown drive, but it sure shouldn't end in a three-and-out.
The Bears won their final preseason game 29-27 thanks to an inspired performance from backup quarterback Tyson Bagent.
