The Chicago Bears’ 31-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field showed plenty of positive qualities about Ben Johnson's football team.
Despite being down a handful of starters on defense and starting left tackle Theo Benedet being out, the Bears proved they have reliable depth that can step in and get the job done at a moment's notice.
The Bears improved to 8-3 on the season, keeping sole possession of the NFC North, but Johnson understands his team will still need to improve to claim the NFC North title for the first time since 2018.
It starts with having a killer instinct.
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Johnson's offense had two opportunities in the fourth quarter to close out the game against the Steelers, but failed both times. With 6:27 left in the game, the Bears went three-and-out after the Steelers finished a 17-play drive with a touchdown.
The Bears’ defense stepped up by forcing a punt on their next series, which gave Caleb Williams and the offense another attempt to finish the game. Again, the Bears went three-and-out and took just 24 seconds off the clock.
Up 31-28, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's unit forced a turnover on downs on seven plays that sealed the victory for the Bears.
Johnson joined Bears play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak on ESPN Chicago the day after the game and detailed what he liked about the team's performance and highlighted where they could improve.
“I would still like to see us finish that game stronger on offense,” Johnson said. “I thought we had two possessions there in the fourth quarter where we could really seal the game and finish the game with the football, and we fell short there. Fortunately, our defense was able to complement us and get the job done.”
The defense was down its top three linebackers and didn't have Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and even lost Tyrique Stevenson to injury during the game, but the unit stepped up when it needed to most.
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Johnson's offense has finished games before, and the 47-42 victory over the Bengals is a recent example. But the next time the offense has an opportunity to seal the game, as Johnson mentioned, the unit will have to prove they can complete that task.