LAKE FOREST, Ill. (104.3 The Score) — The Bears are striving to achieve the lofty standards set by head coach Ben Johnson, but he's also working to keep them grounded as they're coming off an impressive 59-37 win against the Panthers on Sunday in their season opener.
After the Bears posted 552 yards of offense and scored their most points since 1980 in a historic offensive performance, Johnson has his team turning the page to the Vikings this upcoming Sunday and wants to keep his players humble.
“We haven’t put up any points this week,” Johnson said Wednesday.
It won't be as easy for the Bears to light up the scoreboard with the Vikings visiting Soldier Field. Minnesota is led by respected defensive coordinator Brian Flores and limited Chicago to 24 and 19 points, respectively, in their two matchups last season.
Flores utilizes an aggressive style of defense that can be frustrating to opposing play-callers and quarterbacks. This past Sunday, the Vikings rallied from a 22-10 deficit to earn a 39-22 win over the Packers. Minnesota allowed just three points in the second half in the comeback victory.
For Johnson, facing off with Flores is a chess match. He wants his Bears to pick up where they off in Charlotte in the season opener.
“Man, end of the day, our guys, I want them to go out and play fast,” Johnson said. “I want to make sure we're sound. It's not very different than what we talked about a week ago, making sure we have a hat for a hat as often as we can, and if he gets us on something, that's fine.
“This game will end up being some adjustments going on over the course of it. I might be in the tablet a little bit more than I'd like to over the course of the game, but that's how these ones have tended to go in the past.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
