Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reveals the identity for improved defense

Last night, you could say the Chicago Bears shocked the football world.

As a four-point underdog at home, the Bears welcomed the 2-0 Eagles to town and handed them their first loss.

Coming into Monday night, the Bears were without their starting QB, Caleb Williams. Backup Tyson Bagent was active, but didn’t play as a precaution, as he didn’t practice all week. That meant veteran Case Keenum would get the start.

Keenum had the night of his life, carving up the Eagles’ defense for 247 yards and two passing scores, including a rushing touchdown. This makes Ben Johnson’s decision next week even harder, as Keenum clearly has the hot hand.

It’s clear that no matter who’s in charge of this offense, they’re going to put up points. The way Johnson mixed up the playcalling last night was masterful, especially with a third-string quarterback.

The Chicago Bears defense finally has an identity

Defensively, the Bears had their best showing yet. Many have questioned this group, especially after their nightmare Week 1 performance, when they gave up 37 points. It’s safe to say that those questions may be put to rest (for now). They held Saquon Barkley to just 82 yards, and Jalen Hurts threw for only 153, including an interception.

The only blemish was a Hurts ‘tush push’ at the end of the first half. Other than that, the Chicago Bears defense was firing on all cylinders.

“They continue to trend the right way,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “It’s great to see the takeaways. I thought that was huge for us, it really was. And I can’t say enough good things about the plan that DA (Dennis Allen) had in and the coaching staff coaching it up. I’m in my office after the game trying to highlight, ‘OK, who stood out and just had a monster game on defense?’

This defense clearly has an identity – stop the run on early downs and take advantage of third-and-long opportunities.

“It’s hard to say just one guy did, it felt like a whole unit that second half. They were flying around and they were playing together as one, which was awesome to see. So we continue to foster that, and it’s how we play football, it’s how do we outrun and outhit and rally to the football. That’s really what we want to be our calling card.”

Ben Johnson will need to continue making adjustments throughout the long season

It’s hard to say what the big changes were for the Bears’ defense, which looked so much better last night.

Maybe it’s the benching of Tyrique Stevenson, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury all week and didn’t practice much. He was replaced by rookie DB Malik Muhammad, who has looked great thus far. He had a solid game last night, recording five tackles and keeping his assignment in check.

Even after a good showing in his first career start, Muhammad wasn’t happy with his performance. Another indicator of the culture Ben Johnson is creating here: perfection is the standard.

“I wasn’t good with my performance tonight. I felt like I played mid, and didn’t play that well. I’ve got way more levels to this.”

The Bears move to 2-1 on the young season and are set to host the New York Jets next Sunday. Offensively, the Jets have looked improved, so it’ll be another test for this resurging Bears defense.

More: Ben Johnson makes major change on defense before Monday Night Football clash

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