After reviewing film from Monday night’s 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson didn’t see any glaring holes from his team’s performance, but did see a lot to “clean up.”
“Some good football on tape but too much inconsistent stuff that popped up that we’ll address, we’ll clean up and we’ll keep it moving,” he told reporters via Zoom on Tuesday. “Effort wasn’t an issue.
“But the execution has to improve, particularly there in the fourth quarter.”
The clean-up list is highlighted by 12 penalties for 127 yards, including four false starts and an illegal shift.
The Bears will have a short week to shore up their execution issues.
Johnson returns to Detroit, where he was the Lions’ offensive coordinator for the previous three seasons, for a Week 2 matchup Sunday in which either team would face an 0-2 start in division play with a loss.
Week 1 photos: Minnesota Vikings 27, Chicago Bears 24
Here are five things we learned on Tuesday.
1. Johnson holds himself accountable.
Johnson had to use a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty before a go-for-it 4th-and-3 in the second quarter.
“I was late getting the call in and that’s my own issue,” he said.
He also admitted that he shouldn’t have thrown the red flag in the third quarter on an apparent fumble by Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson — a challenge Johnson lost when it was ruled that Hockenson’s knee was down by contact.
“I thought I saw knees up and so that’s on me,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to do a better job listening to the guys up top.”
The lost challenge cost Johnson a timeout he could have used when the Bears needed to rally in the fourth quarter.
“That’s a big one right there,” he said. “That timeout in the second half, those things are very valuable and having that at the end of the game would have been huge for us.
“I didn’t think I called a particularly great game. I could’ve adjusted a little bit better to the lack of pressure that (Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores) was giving us.
“And then at the end of the game (with the Bears needing a field goal), I felt like we could kick it out of the back” of the end zone, giving the Vikings the opportunity to return the kick and run precious seconds off the clock.
“We weren’t able to get that done,” Johnson said. “In hindsight, I should’ve kicked it out of bounds.”
2. The running game underwhelmed.
Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond throws Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift to the ground in the fourth quarter of a game at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 8, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The final box score showed the Vikings edged the Bears in rushing yards, 120-119, but 58 of Chicago’s ground gains came from Caleb Williams.
“In the run game, we were sub-par overall,” Johnson said.
D’Andre Swift carried 17 times for 53 yards, an average of 3.1 yards. Wide receiver DJ Moore toted three times for 8 yards, a 2.7 average.
Johnson noted that the Vikings, ranked second in run defense last season (93.4 yards per game), bolstered their defensive front in the offseason.
However, “We anticipated being on the same page more than what we were.”
“It’s five guys (on the offensive line) all playing as one, and if you include the tight ends, it’s six or seven as a part of it as well,” Johnson said. “I thought Swift ran hard when the ball went in his hands.
“There’s probably a couple reads where he could’ve hit it maybe a little different, but for the most part, I was pretty pleased with how he played.”
3. Williams’ passing game showed “mixed results” at best.
There’s no getting around Williams’ fickle arm in his season debut.
He looked like Robin Hood with an arrow while starting with 10 straight completions, and more like Friar Tuck on several of his subsequent throws.
“It was up and down,” Johnson said. “We had mixed results.”
Williams finished 21-of-35 for 210 yards and a touchdown pass, with no interceptions.
“He had a couple throws with guys in his face that he delivered on target that were very tough,” Johnson said. “There were probably three or four of them that we counted on tape that, at a minimum, that we would want back.
“He came up today. We chatted for a while. He’s very self-reflective on it and very critical of himself. It’s a starting point for us and we’re looking to get better next week.”
4. Williams’ scramble drills unlocked a cheat code.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams runs behind the block of offensive tackle Braxton Jones in the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Sept. 8, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
He not only capped the Bears’ first drive with a scramble for the team’s first 6 points of the season, but he also scored the first rushing touchdown of his NFL career.
In fact, he turned Houdini during several escapes that likely would have been one of his league-high 68 sacks last season.
Williams said after Monday’s game that it was important to him not to give up negative plays to Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ aggressive defense.
“Being able to take what the defense gives you, be able to get out of things or scramble and go get a first down or touchdown, whatever the case may be versus Flores, keeping us ahead of the chains, that’s something I take pride in, something that Ben and I talk about consistently,” Williams said.
On Tuesday, Johnson credited Williams for extending plays with his legs and giving juice to a run game that was “drying up.”
“He has the elusiveness in the pocket and then I think he has (an) underestimated ability to really turn on the jets,” Johnson said.
5. Injury and participation report.
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and safety Jay Ward break up a pass intended for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore in the fourth quarter of a game at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 8, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears already knew they might be without cornerback Jaylon Johnson (groin, calf) and linebacker T.J. Edwards against the Vikings, both of whom appeared on Saturday’s injury report.
But cornerback Kyler Gordon’s (hamstring) move to inactive status before Monday’s game developed over the weekend and came as another big blow to a depleted defense.
“Over the course of last week, (he) started to feel some tightness,” Johnson said. After consulting team trainers about it for the first time Sunday, “we put him on the injury report and felt like he wasn’t quite ready to go.”
In the fourth quarter, cornerback Nahshon Wright briefly left the game with leg cramps, and DJ Moore was shaken up after getting sandwiched between two defenders while trying to catch a pass.
Johnson hadn’t gotten the report yet on Moore, but otherwise there were “no injuries of consequence. So that was one bright spot from the game.”
Meanwhile, the Bears signed defensive back Dallis Flowers, who played at Oak Park-River Forest, to the practice squad, replacing Tre Flowers, who was released.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/09/chicago-bears-ben-johnson-caleb-williams-accountability/
