Ben Johnson gets brutally honest about Bears’ preseason win

Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears made their preseason debut last Saturday against the Cleveland Browns. While they won 34-10, he wasn’t completely happy with the team’s performance. He gave his honest take about it and cited what needs to be improved.

Tyson Bagent started the game and completed 13-of-22 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Case Keenum shined as the QB2, finishing with 9-of-10 completions for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Miller Moss also saw some action and recorded 3-of-8 passes for 48 yards.

Johnson and Co. will play their second preseason game on Saturday. They will visit the Cincinnati Bengals with their sights set on fine-tuning their lapses with the start of the regular season around the corner.

Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears — Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson speaks during Minicamp at Halas Hall.

Ben Johnson cites Bears’ areas of opportunity

Johnson shared what he didn’t like about his team during the win over the Browns. He also stressed that he wants Chicago to start strong and avoid short possessions.

“Last game, that was kind of the part that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, even though you win 34-10, well, you’re down 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and you have a couple three-and-outs on offense,” Johnson said. “Each week, you try to pick out some themes of room to grow. That will be a theme here this week, is can we start faster not only in practice but also in the game on Saturday.”

The Bears are coming off an NFC North win and reached the Divisional Round in 2025. They entered the season with many doubting them, particularly Johnson and Caleb Williams’ ability to lead the team to success. They turned many doubters into believers but do not feel satisfied with one strong run. The head coach-quarterback duo wants to show the NFL world that last year is not a fluke and that they are the franchise’s long-term answer.