Chicago Bears begin short week with daunting tasks: Getting right and preparing for Detroit

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Chicago Bears star cornerback Jaylon Johnson put it best.

One of the longest-tenured Bears, Johnson has seen his fair share of seasons in Chicago where very little goes in their favor.

His assessment of the Bears' five-game skid is the same feeling he's been in since the Bears drafted him out of Utah in 2020.

"Right now, we're in a slump," Johnson said. "I've been in slumps four or five years in a row now."

Johnson has yet to be a part of a Bears team that finished with a winning record. The Bears still do have a chance to earn that designation with six games to go in 2024.

But, turning it all around is a massive undertaking. First, it starts with winning on the road against NFC North leader and NFC crown contender Detroit. Second, it involves getting right.

The Bears have every reason to harbor frustrations. They've played well enough to win in three of their last five games. Those three games have ended disastrously and in different heartbreaking fashions.

Put it this way: The Bears were on the cusp of a road comeback win over Washington which would have put them at 5-2 and within NFC North contention.

Instead, the 4-2 Bears have now become the 4-7 Bears.

"It will be better when it's better," Johnson said. "Right now it's not better. That's all I can go off of."

To get better, the Bears are looking to put it all together.

Head coach Matt Eberflus stressed the need for complimentary football again on Monday. That includes the defense, offense and special teams working in tandem to win games.

The Bears had that again Sunday against Minnesota. But, again, it wasn't consistent enough to win.

"After watching the tape from yesterday, very pleased with the effort and the way the team finished," Eberflus said. "Didn’t get it done at the end. But we’re putting ourselves in a position to win the game at the very end two weeks in a row. That’s grit, determination, working together to be able to get that done. 

Playing hard and fielding grit within a roster doesn't put points on the board, and Eberflus does not need a reminder of that. He consistently points to the fact the Bears have won games before this season.

Now, it comes down to minimizing lapses that prevent the Bears from getting over that hump.

The most obvious was the defense struggling to get off the field in third and long situations. The Bears had the Vikings in third and 13, 12 and nine yards-to-gain situations. 

Minnesota converted on those situations, especially the third and nine in overtime where the Bears could have flipped the field and gotten the ball back in the extra frame.

Another situation was the fourth-down play in the third quarter on Minnesota's 27-yard line where the Bears made the decision to go for it late. It was an incomplete throw to Keenan Allen and a turnover on downs.

"That moment was just like a ‘What is going on?’ moment that we could have avoided," Bears wide receiver DJ Moore said.

Those moments have gotten fewer since Thomas Brown took over as offensive coordinator, but they still can't happen on a have-to-have-it play deep in opposing territory.

Against Detroit, the Bears face a familiar foe they can say they played well against twice last season.

The loss in Detroit was a heartbreaker when the Bears squandered a fourth-quarter lead. They rallied to beat Detroit in Chicago. The theme between earning leads into those games was an active offense met with a ballhawk defense.

Johnson pointed out the Bears recorded seven turnovers in two games against Detroit. It's hard top bank on the opposing team to make mistakes, especially with the Lions this season.

Quarterback Jared Goff had five interceptions against the Bears in 2023. This season, he has just nine on the season. Five of those interceptions came in one game against the Texans.

The Lions are also riding a nine-game winning streak. They've won games where they've dominated and games where they have not played well.

The Bears, who have gotten better since bottoming out against Arizona and New England, need to get right mentally and schematically. That's what Monday is about for Eberflus.

"Now, we've just got to finish," Eberflus said.