It was a moment that Chicago Bears fans waited 14 games to see and finally got it in the 31-3 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 15.
During the third quarter, the Browns were driving down the field before rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was not able to get the ball to his receiver, Jerry Jeudy, and was instead intercepted by cornerback Jaylon Johnson for the first time this season. After reviewing that play, reporters asked Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen about the pick from Johnson, and Allen found the one thing he loved most about the play.
“The finish," Allen said via The Athletic's Dan Wiederer. "Quite honestly, within every play, there’s a lot that goes on from the snap to the finish of the play. The most important part of it is how you finish the play. I thought he did a great job of playing the ball, playing through the man, and finishing on the ball to gain control and keep his feet inbounds. It was a hell of a play.
“I think that does some good for his confidence in terms of where he’s at. I think each and every week he continues to get a little better. So we’re gonna try to keep pressing that envelope a little bit.”
It's good to have Johnson back into playing like his old self
Nobody on the Bears has had a more frustrating season than Johnson, maybe outside of his fellow cornerback Kyler Gordon. Johnson missed all of training camp and the Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings before returning for the Detroit Lions game to reinjure his groin.
Core muscle surgery was required for Johnson, who was knocked out of football for another two months. Thankfully, Johnson has been playing since the Philadelphia Eagles' Black Friday game last month and has been on a pitch count as he works his way back as a full-time starter.
In four games this season, Johnson has six tackles, one pass deflection, and one interception. Both his pass deflection and interception came in the Browns game.
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What a massive step Johnson took in the Browns game as he's starting to look like the guy who has made the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons. There are still three more games before a potential postseason run for him to prove even further that he is all the way back.