The Chicago Bears are 7-2, heading into their bye week with plenty to celebrate. They've won games in just about every imaginable fashion, including Sunday's 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Ben Johnson isn't about to let a winning record distract him from what he's seeing on the field.
Chicago has developed a habit of overcoming mistakes that would bury most teams. That's encouraging. It's also a dangerous way to live when the schedule gets tougher and the stakes get higher.
And Johnson has already identified two problems he wants corrected before the Bears return to action.
Ben Johnson isn't ignoring Bears' costly mistakes
During Tuesday's appearance on the Bears, etc. podcast, Johnson discussed what he plans to examine during Chicago's bye week.
His first concern was hardly surprising.
"We got to clean up these penalties. I know that's going to be a huge emphasis for us here when we get back with our players," Johnson said.
He pointed out that the problem extends across all three phases, with penalties erasing positive plays and costing Chicago valuable field position.
That's unacceptable for a team with legitimate postseason aspirations.
The Bears have been good enough to survive those mistakes through nine games. Against Tampa Bay, their defense repeatedly bailed out an offense that committed four turnovers.
But relying on the defense to rescue the offense every Sunday isn't much of a strategy.
Eventually, those mistakes are going to cost Chicago a game it should have won. And in a competitive NFC North, giving away even one victory could prove expensive.
Bears' rushing attack has Ben Johnson concerned
Penalties weren't Johnson's only complaint.
"Our rushing game on offense leaves something to be desired," he admitted.
Johnson specifically pointed toward the past few weeks, suggesting the Bears have struggled to establish their ground attack early in games.
He also believes Chicago's rushing production has been better in the second half than the first, something he intends to investigate during the break.
That's a concerning admission from an offensive-minded head coach whose system depends on keeping defenses guessing.
Caleb Williams has already demonstrated that he can make difficult throws and deliver when Chicago needs him most. But asking the quarterback to repeatedly overcome stalled drives, penalties and inconsistent rushing production is asking for trouble.
The Bears need to make life easier for Williams, not harder.
Chicago can't keep getting away with the same mistakes
Johnson deserves credit for what he's accomplished. Chicago's 7-2 record speaks for itself, and this team has shown considerably more resilience than previous Bears squads.
But winning doesn't erase the problems.
Johnson understands that. He wouldn't be discussing these weaknesses publicly if he believed everything was fine.
The bye week gives Chicago an opportunity to address both issues before the final eight games.
The Bears have proven they know how to win ugly. Now they need to prove they can stop making games unnecessarily difficult.
Because the closer Chicago gets to January, the less forgiving those mistakes will become.
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