What Led to Criticism of Jaylon Johnson Despite His Significant Takeaway
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson missed an opportunity for a pick-6 for the second consecutive game against Minnesota. However, he did manage to secure one interception, which could prove beneficial as free agency approaches at the end of the season.
Despite this, Johnson found himself facing criticism. Although he made the interception, Coach Matt Eberflus was dissatisfied with his return of the football.
During the play, Johnson dropped back into zone coverage near the sideline, leaped to intercept a pass from Josh Dobbs intended for Jordan Addison. He then returned the interception 19 yards from the Bears' 44-yard line in the second quarter of Thursday's game, marking his team-high third interception of the season.
Eberflus expressed his disappointment, stating, "The interception should have resulted in a great return, and we need to improve in that area."
Every defense has specific plans for interception returns, including where they occur on the field and how blocking is set up. In this case, Johnson deviated from the plan by cutting the return back toward the middle of the field and was stopped after gaining 19 yards.
Eberflus provided insights into the breakdown of the play, saying, "The guys did a good job. We know that's a wall return up the numbers. A really good block by Eddie Jackson on the intended receiver (Addison). Everybody knows that you'll block the intended receiver first, right? And he did a really good job with that. And there were a couple of other blocks."
He further explained, "Maine (Tremaine Edmunds) was in position. (Jaquan) Brisker was in position for that wall return, and Jaylon has just got to take that thing right up the sideline there. You take it up the numbers so you have the ability to bend it and have more space. You've got that yards from numbers to the sideline to really create more space for yourself. So that's No. 1. And we should have had it in a better position for our offense."
Despite the criticism, it's important to note that Johnson's return was one of the team's longest this year, and he had previously scored a touchdown return against the Raiders. The Bears have struggled with capitalizing on takeaways this season, with only 46 points scored following takeaways of both kinds, while they have given up 64 points after turnovers, resulting in a minus-18 ratio in points after turnovers.
The offense's inability to convert these opportunities into points has been a recurring issue, emphasizing the importance of better coordination between the defense and offense to make the most of turnovers and interceptions in the future.
