The Bears could also exact some revenge against the Lions following a 52-21 loss in Detroit in Week 2.
Asked to reflect on that defeat, Johnson said: “It’s early in the season and you’re still getting to know your team a little bit. Being in that locker room after that game and how that felt, you don’t always remember exactly what was said or anything like that, but you always remember how you felt in those moments. I know our players do too … It’s never a good taste when you get beat so handily.”
The Bears have shown resiliency throughout the season. They followed their loss in Detroit with four straight wins, their next defeat in Baltimore with five consecutive victories and a setback in Green Bay with back-to-back wins.
“I would credit our veteran leadership for that,” Johnson said. “I think usually when you have a young team, a really young team, they tend to ride the wave a little bit more of going up and down. We’ve got a really good core of veteran leaders that keep the main thing the main thing in the locker room and make sure everybody’s focused on the goal at hand. They’ve made my life a lot easier with this transition. That, along with some veteran coaches, it takes a lot of people to get it done like that. They’ve done a great job of staying focused on each week and each particular game.”
