Follow Ben Johnson into the football desert, as thirsty as you are, Bears fans. Parched and hallucinating for competent quarterback play, Bears faithful found their oasis at a sun-kissed Soldier Field in a 31-14 winner against the Dallas Cowboys, notching their first victory of the season and sticking it to ex-coach Matt Eberflus in the process.
Spare the caveats of how bad the Cowboys’ defense is. Is that a true assessment? Yes. But you can only play the team the league put on your schedule. The Bears handled their business showing improvement in all three phases of the game. They won the turnover battle, generated more explosive plays (defined as passes of 20-plus and runs of 10-plus), didn’t give up a sack, while brining Dak Prescott down twice.
Before we get into the breakdown of my favorite offensive play of the game, here are some performances and observations I took away from my film review.
- Redemption game for Tyrique Stephenson. Given his performance just a week ago against the Lions, he was physical in run support, more effective with his press and kept Prescott looking away from his side of the field. The butterfly effect from his forced fumble against Javonte Williams on the Cowboys is an interesting thought exercise about how the game could have turned out if he didn’t make that incredible play along the sideline. With Jaylon Johnson shelved, Stephenson needs to keep stacking performances like this one.
- Tremaine Edmunds was everywhere against the Cowboys. The interior of the defensive line did a good job of keeping him clean, which allowed him to get his eyes in the backfield to diagnose run or pass. He quickly filled the gap on run plays from the second quarter on and came up with two crucial interceptions in Bears territory, with the second icing the game with just under five minutes left. He now has seven interceptions since joining the team in 2023, the most of any linebacker in the league over that span.
- Cole Kmet is a true “lunch pail” guy on this team. He does a lot of dirty work in the blocking game that largely goes unnoticed. Through three games, he’s been asked to man up against defensive ends and cross the formation as a “sniffer” to seal end of the line in pass protection and he’s been very effective. The Bears went to max protection in 12- and 13-personnel packages to take some shots in the passing game and his ability to hold up in these situations kept the pocket strong for Williams as he waited for longer-developing routes to pry open. It was good to see him rewarded with a touchdown reception on a “nod”route.
- Welcome to the NFL, Luther Burden. Just a week ago, I was curious about what the plan was for him on offense. Johnson found multiple ways to get the ball in his hands. The highlight was the flea flicker in which Burden feigned like he was...
Windy City Gridiron
