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With the Chicago Bears facing numerous secondary injuries, the franchise turned to free agent CJ Gardner-Johnson. In their 24-20 victory over the New York Giants in Week 10, that addition proved crucial.
The Giants looked to be in full control, up 17-7 as the fourth quarter was approaching. But then Gardner-Johnson forced a fumble from Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Bears would go on to kick a field goal.
Of course, Gardner-Johnson was trying to give his Bears some momentum. But the cornerback had another reason he wanted to make Dart fumble, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
“I got tired of him running the ball,” Gardner-Johnson said. “No disrespect. It’s just aggravating when he breaks for 20, 50 yards and you’re playing great coverage. So I had to find a way to get off the field to get the ball out of his hands eventually.”
Dart eventually left the game with a concussion. But before going down, he rushed six times for 66 yards and two touchdowns. His longest run came on a 24-yard touchdown scamper that seemed to set the tone for the contest.
But the Bears managed to lock in when it mattered most. They scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, stealing a victory from the Giants.
Still, Gardner-Johnson and company knows they cannot allow any quarterback, or player, to run on them how Dart did. They did a solid job in the first half containing Tyrone Tracy. But he ended up with 71 rushing yards on 14 carries.
Chicago will look to up their run defense pressure, with Gardner-Johnson maintaining his crucial role.
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