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Everyone has been at a point when their job has taken a toll on them mentally or physically. And sometimes the best solution is to just get away.
That’s exactly what Jaylon Johnson did following the Bears’ 12-7 loss to the Commanders.
“It probably gives you a reset,” Johnson said. “I forgot about the game myself, just going back home and not having that meeting the day after the game kinda allows you to flush the loss, the last two, and kinda just gives us a reset mentally. Of course, physically, being able to get off our feet and really rest, relax. I feel like it was a good mini-bye for us, for sure.”
The Bears needed that mini-bye after dropping their third-straight game and fourth overall. Even though these skids are prone to happen, especially for a young roster that has so many new pieces and is lacking top-end talent, Johnson believes that should provide motivation to get things right.
“Hopefully there’s no fatigue when we’re losing,” Johnson said. “I feel like everyone should have if anything more energy to stop the bleeding, and I feel like that’s kinda where we’re at right now, trying to stop the bleeding and trying to figure it out. Of course, we’ve all heard that we’re moving in the right direction, but we have to find a way to really stop the bleeding. And I feel like that just starts with each individual person.”
Once that mini-bye came to an end, Johnson and the rest of his teammates went through a course of evaluations with their respective position coaches to discuss their play through the first six games of the season.
Due to a quad injury, Johnson has only played in three games, but in those contests, the third-year cornerback has excelled. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson has only given up four receptions in 93 coverage snaps.
Johnson is a part of the solution for the Bears to get back in the win column, but first, the team needs to figure out how to finish games. Against the Commanders and Vikings, the defense has given up the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
So, what will it take to be on the winning side of those close games?
“Outside of just executing,” Johnson said. “I mean, it’s not too much to change. In that moment, you got to find a way to get it done. Everybody has been in a situation where they’ve had their backs against the wall and had to fight their way out of it. I feel like that’s really the situation that we’re in. There’s times in crunch time, times where a play has to be made, and we haven’t been on the right side of making those plays. I feel like at the end of the day, we just got to find a way. I feel like it’s different for each individual person, but we got to find a way to win our individual matchups to help the team win.”
As one of the leaders on this team, Johnson takes on the responsibility “to help guys be the best version of themselves.” So there won’t be any quit out of Johnson or his teammates as they prepare for the remaining 11 games.
Maybe the mini-bye was just what the Bears needed to help them get back on track.
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