The Bears’ quarterback situation turned messy fast on Sunday, and Ben Johnson didn’t hide why he made the switch. With Chicago getting rolled by the Packers 31-7, the head coach pulled Tyson Bagent and went to Case Keenum in search of a jolt that never came.
After the game, Johnson said the move was about trying to shake loose some life on offense.
"We just wanted a little spark there," Johnson told reporters in a presser. "Tyson, just could never feel like he got in a rhythm here today.
We'll look at why that was the case. The second interception happened and we just felt like, let's give Case a chance out there and see if we get different results."
Bagent, for his part, didn’t dodge the moment when he spoke after the loss. He said the benching would fuel him moving forward and admitted he has to be better.
"Obviously you would definitely not want to be benched, especially in a game like this, especially with the opportunity that I've been blessed with," Bagent said, according to ESPN. "But end of the day, these things happen, I've got to play better. And like I said, got to look in the mirror, got to see where I can continue to get better because there's a lot of things still, even this far into my career, that I can certainly get back."
Chicago is still waiting on Caleb Williams, who remains out while recovering from a hamstring injury. Johnson said there’s a chance Williams could be ready for next week’s game against the Falcons, but he didn’t commit to a starter if Williams can’t go. That decision, Johnson said, will be sorted out by the coaching staff this week.
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