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Chicago Bears respond to HC Ben Johnson’s challenge

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 4:04 PM ET

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson issued a challenge to his players before practice this week that he wanted to see players without the ball giving effort during plays. That was one of the key issues he saw on tape of the Bears’ 52-21 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 2.

From the start of OTAs this spring, Johnson laid the groundwork for intensity at practices and attention to detail. Those attributes have been missing since the third quarter of Week 1.

The Chicago Bears reponded to a challenge

On Thursday, Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said he was impressed with how the locker room has responded to Johnson’s criticisms this week, saying they “rose to the challenge.”

“I saw a group that responded, that was hungry, that certainly feels the first two weeks and the result,” Doyle said via Chris Emma of 670 The Score. “You watched a team yesterday that came out and rose to the challenge in practice. They got to do it again today, they got to do it again tomorrow, then they got to do it Saturday and Sunday as well.”

Declan Doyle on the Bears’ practice Wednesday following Ben Johnson’s call for better habits: “I saw a group that responded, that was hungry, that certainly feels the first two weeks and the result. You watched a team yesterday that came out and rose to the challenge in practice.…

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 18, 2025

The Bears responded at Wednesday’s practice, but the team needs to show it for 60 minutes when they play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Chicago has reportedly shown intensity during practices, especially against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins in training camp, but that hasn’t translated to regular-season games.

In Week 3, that needs to change.