Following the Bears’ brutal 12-7 loss to the Commanders last Thursday night, quarterback Justin Fields stood in from of reporters and explained that he’s “tired of being almost there” after being told that “we’re almost there.”
Almost where, exactly? While Fields most certainly meant the offense, which has stumbled out of the gate, Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson explained it in his own words.
“Close to winning,” Johnson said, via the Sun-Times. “I feel like that comes from our coaches and I wouldn’t say they’re lying. I wouldn’t say they’re saying it just to say it. We are doing some things better. But a lot of that is overshadowed by the loss.”
The Bears have lost three straight games, where a late fumble cost them a chance at victory. Chicago has led in every game this season. Not to mention, all three losses have been by one score, an indication that, as Johnson indicated, this team should be winning.
“Considering how we’ve been losing these last few weeks, I think we’re pretty close,” Johnson said. “It’s just executing down the stretch. Like any team, there are things to improve. If we [had] won our close games, I feel like the conversations [about] this team would be different. But we’ve shot ourselves in the foot these last few games [that] we’ve lost at the end.”
The Bears are looking to break a three-game losing streak when they face off against the Patriots on Monday Night Football. After that, Chicago will face the Cowboys and Dolphins. So the Bears need a win in the worst way in Week 7.
“Everybody has been in a situation where they’ve had their backs against the wall and had to fight their way out of it. That’s the situation we’re in,” Johnson said. “There’s times in crunch time, where a play has to be made and we haven’t been on the right side of making those plays. We just have to find a way. It’s different for each person, but we’ve got to find a way to win our individual matchups to help the team win.”
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