Bears News: Ben Johnson respects Aaron Rodgers but wants the chance to compete against him

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 45 minutes ago

CHICAGO - It seems to be flying under the radar how well the Chicago Bears have done through their first 10 games.

They are 7-3, leading the NFC North, and have won in just about every way possible.

“We’ve got a lot of depth on this team and I think we have a lot of guys that as a coaching staff, by design, we’ve put them in some challenging situations from the spring time through training camp and now when they get in those situations, they’re ready for it,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “We talk all the time about being able to handle pressure, (being) poised and I think they rise to the occasion and so, I think that’s our entire team. I think that’s part of our identity and who we are and really proud of the guys for handling those situations so far.”

As the season has progressed, rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III has gotten increased playing time. In Chicago’s last game, Burden III was targeted five times, the most in his NFL career so far. This is up from just one target in the season opener.

Johnson is a believer in making the players earn their playing time, and Burden III has certainly earned more snaps.

“You get what you earn and I think he’s earned the increased snaps. It’s something we evaluate each week. What does practice look like? How are these guys through the course of the week? Are they making plays or not? And he’s steadily climbed. It’s the route-running detail that’s showing up, the consistency and making sure his alignments are right, his assignments. He’s doing a real good job with that and it’s a credit to the receiving room, the vets are showing him the way and then (wide receivers coach Antwaan) Randle El and (offensive assistant) Robbie Picazo. They do a great job meeting with him and making sure he knows what he has going on and so, he understands that and as a young rookie, I think he’s progressing nicely.”

Kicker Jake Moody was signed by the Washington Commanders to their active roster, leaving Cairo Santos as Chicago’s only kicker.

Although he missed a field goal against the Minnesota Vikings, he made up for it by making the game-winning field goal as time expired.

“I think the experience-level with him gives you a good feel for his track record and I think you know what you’re going to get,” Johnson said. “You get a really good feel going into the game with how they’re kicking in pregame and so, that helps build some confidence of what we feel comfortable with putting him in certain situations and I think he’s done a really nice job since he came back healthy.”

Chicago will be looking to keep this win streak going when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sun. Nov. 23 (Noon / CBS). Pittsburgh comes into this game with a 6-4 record despite struggling on offense at times throughout this season. However, they are led by head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has been the Steelers’ head coach since 2007, but has never finished a season with a losing record.

Thus, you always have to be prepared for a battle when facing Tomlin’s team.

“It’s absolutely incredible to think that he’s been a head coach as long as he has and just keeps churning out wins. He sets the bar very high and nothing but respect for him, how he goes about his business,” Johnson said. “He holds his players accountable. I think you saw even this week with some of the quotes talking about a player getting spit at and his reaction to it. He’s 100% right as far as I’m concerned. I think he hit the nail on the head and he just keeps it real and authentic at all times. So, the players respect that. You can tell that they play hard.”

For Bears fans, this game has a little extra excitement to it. It seems fair to say that no Chicago Bears fan likes quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers played for the Green Bay Packers for 18 seasons and was always obnoxious when Green Bay beat Chicago.

Therefore, the Bears would love a chance to play against Rodgers with the Steelers and get a win against him.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Aaron Rodgers,” Johnson said. “He’s done this at a high level for an incredible amount of time and if he’s ready to go this week, would love nothing more (than) to compete against him.”