When Ben Johnson walked into the locker room after Sunday’s narrow loss, the frustration was thick enough to taste. Yet amid the clatter of helmets and the silence of defeat, his attention went straight to one player: D’Andre Swift.
The running back sat quietly at his locker, headphones dangling, his eyes fixed on the floor. Two underwhelming performances in a row had put him under fire — from fans, analysts, and even fantasy football owners. But Johnson didn’t approach with anger. He approached with purpose.
“Keep your head up,” one insider overheard Johnson say. “We’ll fix this.”
At Monday’s press conference, the Bears’ head coach expanded on that moment. “Look, it’s easy to criticize when things aren’t clicking,” he said. “But players like D’Andre — they don’t forget how to play football overnight. We’ve just got to get him back into rhythm.”
Johnson’s defense of Swift wasn’t blind loyalty — it was strategic trust. The former Lions and Eagles star has shown glimpses of his old explosiveness, but the numbers tell a harder truth: just 3.1 yards per carry over the last two games and zero touchdowns.
Even so, Johnson made clear that the offensive line shares responsibility. “You can’t pin everything on the back,” he said. “We’ve missed some key blocks, and that shows up in his tape.”
It’s a perspective that resonated with players. Tight end Cole Kmet later told reporters, “Coach always reminds us it’s never one guy’s fault. That’s how we stay together.”
Still, outside Halas Hall, patience is thinning. Talk radio hosts are calling for more carries to go to rookie back Roschon Johnson, who’s been quietly efficient in limited snaps. On social media, debate rages between fans who think Swift’s best days are behind him and those who believe Johnson’s belief will pay off.
Johnson, ever the tactician, seems unfazed. “Pressure comes with expectations,” he said. “And I expect D’Andre to respond.”
For Swift, the next game could be a defining moment — not just for his season, but his standing in a locker room that still believes in him. For Johnson, it’s about walking the fine line between tough love and unwavering trust — the hallmark of every great coach-player bond.
“Yeah, I think that’s all of our guys. You just keep going back to work,” Johnson said. “When things go your way, you go back to work, and when things are hard, you go back to work. That’s really the answer for everything, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do as a team.
“But to your point, Swifty has done a great job here these last two weeks. We’re at the point of the season now where no one feels 100 percent anymore, and that’s what it’s going to be the rest of the way. None of those guys feel great. Their bodies don’t feel good. Yet you still show up and you find a way to be there for your teammate next to you, and Swifty certainly exemplifies that.’
