Bears coach Ben Johnson regrets how halftime interview received

CHICAGO — Bears coach Ben Johnson expressed regret Monday over how his halftime interview during his team’s Week 4 win against the Las Vegas Raiders was received.

The Bears trailed 14-9 when Johnson was asked by CBS Sports sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala about his message to players after Chicago scored just six points off three turnovers in the first half.

Johnson said he told his team, “That it wasn’t our brand of football, we’re capable of a lot more. We’re hitting the reset button here at halftime and we’re going to come back and establish our identity here in the second half.”

Kinkhabwala followed up by asking, “Do you need to change what you’re doing?”

The coach suggested that he heard a statement about what his team’s approach should be in the second half rather than a question, which led to a curt response. “I don’t know, you think so? We’re going to be just fine,” he said.

“In the moment I, honestly, I didn’t think too much of it,” Johnson said Monday. “I’m kind of in game mode. But when I look back at it, I am a little bit disappointed with what that looks like. I didn’t hear very well and that’s not an excuse, but when I thought I heard, it was not a question, but I needed to make some changes, I didn’t take that very well, so I’ll do a better job with those going forward.”

The Bears pulled off a 25-24 win on the road when cornerback Josh Blackwell staved off the Raiders’ attempt at a last-second win by blocking Daniel Carlson‘s 54-yard field goal attempt.

Johnson, 39, credited his team for the “character” it showed in clawing back the lead multiple times in the second half while overcoming offensive struggles. The Bears coach said he did not think that everyone on offense was “pulling their weight” through four games, including himself as a playcaller.

“When you look at it as a whole, it was just a mess, man,” Johnson said. “I’m just not proud of what we put on tape. I think it’s a reflection of myself. I always take it personally. I saw us getting better the first three weeks in a lot of ways on offense, and then this was just a little bit of a step back for us. Like I said, the bye week is coming at a good time, and we’re really going to be able to take a good look at ourselves and do a little soul searching. It’s always good when you play that poorly and yet you’re still able to come away with a win.”