Bears' Special Teams Unit Falls Victim to Bengals' High-Powered Returner
The Chicago Bears' special teams unit was dealt a bitter blow on Sunday, as they gave up a touchdown return on the opening kickoff for the first time in over a decade. Charlie Jones, a 98-yard sprint back by the Cincinnati Bengals' return specialist, left the Bears' defense grasping at air.
Jones' long return was a perfect storm of missed tackles and miscommunication among the Bears' special teams unit. The Bengals' offense had been struggling to find its rhythm all game, but it was their high-powered returner who ultimately gave them an early 7-0 lead.
Bears coach Ben Johnson acknowledged the struggle, saying, "It's hard to do in this league - and he hasn't been in the league that long." Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower praised Jones' skills, stating that he has returned both a kickoff and punt for touchdowns in his career. However, it was clear that the Bears' unit was caught off guard by the Bengals' high-powered offense.
The Bengals ultimately went on to lose the game 24-20, but the opening kick return touchdown gave them an early boost of momentum. The Bears will look to regroup and refocus their special teams unit in preparation for their next game.
The Chicago Bears' special teams unit was dealt a bitter blow on Sunday, as they gave up a touchdown return on the opening kickoff for the first time in over a decade. Charlie Jones, a 98-yard sprint back by the Cincinnati Bengals' return specialist, left the Bears' defense grasping at air.
Jones' long return was a perfect storm of missed tackles and miscommunication among the Bears' special teams unit. The Bengals' offense had been struggling to find its rhythm all game, but it was their high-powered returner who ultimately gave them an early 7-0 lead.
Bears coach Ben Johnson acknowledged the struggle, saying, "It's hard to do in this league - and he hasn't been in the league that long." Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower praised Jones' skills, stating that he has returned both a kickoff and punt for touchdowns in his career. However, it was clear that the Bears' unit was caught off guard by the Bengals' high-powered offense.
The Bengals ultimately went on to lose the game 24-20, but the opening kick return touchdown gave them an early boost of momentum. The Bears will look to regroup and refocus their special teams unit in preparation for their next game.
I feel bad for those guys, they had a rough day 
. You can't put it all on one player though, the whole team needs to step up their game 
. It's like when you're working out and your personal record is slower than usual 
- you need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong. Coach Ben Johnson is right, it's tough in this league 
, but that's no excuse for not being prepared 
. Hopefully, they can bounce back from this and get their special teams unit back on track 
. Those Bengals might have gotten a lucky break, but the Bears are gonna come back stronger 
.
this is crazy! The Chicago Bears' special teams unit can't catch a break. 98 yards is insane, they got completely outmaneuvered by Charlie Jones 
.
Like, what was up with that? It felt like the '80s all over again when I saw Charlie Jones sprint past those Bears' defenders 
. The Bengals just took advantage of their opponents' lack of preparation and boom! Instant energy boost 
. Anyway, gotta give props to that Jones kid – he's got skills for days 
. Guess it's back to the drawing board for the Bears' special teams team 
.
, you know, the kind that require a few extra ingredients but end up being totally worth it? Like that one dish where you need to marinate the chicken for like 24 hours beforehand... anyway, back to football 
.
. I mean, they've been working so hard on their special teams unit all season and to have it get taken down like that is just frustrating 
. And yeah, Charlie Jones is a beast! My cousin saw him run and said he was like a freight train rolling over the Bears' defense 
. Not exactly what you want to see from your opponent's return specialist, especially on the opening kickoff... poor Bears 
. And yeah coach Ben Johnson can talk all he wants about how hard it is to do in this league, but at the end of the day it's just a game 