A test of Ben Johnson's message

Just three weeks into his head coaching career, Ben Johnson faces a Matt Eberflus moment — a test of his ability to get his players to respond to him.

Eberflus failed that test tremendously last season after the Fail Mary loss to the Commanders. The Bears were one play from a 5-2 record with upcoming games against the 4-4 Cardinals and 2-6 Patriots when disaster struck and put the Bears on tilt.

The challenge was for the Bears to respond the following week against the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. — a test of their character, leadership and resilience. And they not only failed that test — losing 29-9 — but were victimized by a play that was even more rare than a Hail Mary — Emari Demercado's 53-yard run with four seconds left in the first half. It still is the only touchdown run of 50 or more yards in the final 25 seconds of a half in the last 30 seasons. Not only that, but the Bears fizzled in the second half, gaining just 75 yards on 32 plays (2.3 yards per play).

That was just the start. The Bears flopped again in a 19-3 loss to the Patriots and by then it was clear that Eberflus had lost his team. They weren't just not responding, they were un-responding.

So here is Johnson facing a similar test after the Bears not only have lost their first two games, but looked like a poorly coached team in doing so — losing in a way that was reminiscent of every fired Bears coach since Lovie Smith. Facing Johnson's former team last week at Ford Field, the Bears lost 52-21 — one of the worst defensive performances in Bears history.

It was easy to tell that Johnson did not appreciate his team making him look so bad. He put the players on notice publicly twice last week, both regarding the intensity of their practice regimen. And just eight months into his tenure as head coach, we know enough about Johnson that if he called out his team publicly, he was two or three times as direct with them behind the scenes.

We'll see against the Cowboys how well Johnson's players got the message. After being resolute about instilling a work ethic in training camp, Johnson already was criticizing his team's practice habits as "not championship-caliber." So that message didn't stick that well. It's a good bet he made his point even more clearly and directly this time.

So this game already has more importance than it originally looked on the schedule. It's a test of not only the progress of Caleb Williams and the offense, but a test of how well this team will respond to their coach. Bears fans are still looking for indications that this is indeed the dawn of a new era. Sunday's game against the Cowboys will tell us more about the Bears, and about Ben Johnson, than we ever thought.

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