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The Chicago Bears returned to practice Wednesday in Lake Forest, pushing to bounce back from Sunday’s 20-12 loss to the New York Giants. The Bears will be on the road again in Week 5, heading to Minnesota to play the Vikings on Sunday afternoon. Here are four things we learned at Halas Hall.
Johnson suffered a quadriceps injury during a Thursday practice in Week 3 and hasn’t been back on the practice field since. He remained out Wednesday as the Bears monitor his recovery while keeping their fingers crossed that he might be able to give them something against Vikings star Justin Jefferson.
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“Anytime you can get a good player like that back who can cover really well (it’s big),” coach Matt Eberflus said. “That would be good if we can get that done. Again, he’s day by day. We’ll see where it is.”
In Johnson’s absence, the starting cornerback trio the last two weeks has consisted of rookies Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Jones and third-year veteran Kindle Vildor. Eberflus and his defensive staff are working to formulate a game plan that pays Jefferson proper attention as an elite game-changer while also respecting the rest of the receiving corps, a rushing attack led by Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison and the Vikings’ play-action game.
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“That’s obviously a big issue,” Eberflus said. “That’s always something you have to weigh. You have to do certain things to double and stop (Jefferson) and get guys underneath and do all the things you do to (defend) a No. 1 receiver. It’s always a balance. You have to pick and choose when you do it. But you have to do it for sure.”
Jefferson ranks fifth in the league in catches (28) and receiving yards (393).
An 0-for-3 effort inside the red zone against the Giants was discouraging, particularly after the Bears were 5-for-7 scoring touchdowns in such opportunities over the first three games. Furthermore, Eberflus emphasized late last week that the team’s red-zone-centric practice Friday has been smooth and efficient.
“This league is about scoring touchdowns,” Eberflus said. “We need to improve that percentage. Again, the practices just have to translate. It’s been good with red-zone practices. We have good schemes down there. It just has to translate to the game now.”
Justin Fields was vague when asked for his prescription for improving the red-zone production.
“It’s just execution from everybody on the offense,” he said. “That’s basically it.”
The Bears’ 50% red-zone efficiency ranks tied for 23rd in the NFL. The Vikings defense is tied for 27th overall having allowed touchdowns on 72.7% of opponents’ red-zone trips.
Jackson’s fourth-quarter deep-ball interception off Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor was his third pick in four games, a production spike after he went the entire 2020 and 2021 seasons without a picks. Since training camp opened, Jackson has been practicing with purpose while feeling more free on the back end of the secondary. And the early 2022 returns have been encouraging.
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Eberlfus said Wednesday that Jackson is “hitting his stride” and traces the production back to the investment the sixth-year safety put in during training camp.
“Man, he worked,” Eberflus said. “He never missed a day. If he did, I don’t remember. He is in the best shape of his life. He really bought into this.
“He’s taking great angles. He’s tackling well. He’s obviously ballhawking and understanding the big part of the field. He blitzed well the other day. He’s doing everything you ask a safety to do.”
Montgomery injured his right ankle in the first half of the Bears’ Week 3 win against the Houston Texans and remained out Wednesday. In addition to Montgomery and Johnson missing practice, cornerback Jaylon Jones (illness) and safety Dane Cruishank (hamstring) also did not participate. Matt Adams (hamstring) and Ryan Griffin (Achilles tendon) were limited.
