The season didn’t go like anybody wanted, especially Jaylon Johnson. The Chicago Bears cornerback had high hopes for 2024. Defensively, the team remained strong, and the offense seemed to have taken major steps forward, at least on paper. Everything went well to start the year. Chicago reached 4-2 at the bye week and held the lead in Washington with under a minute to play. Then, a pairing of ugly gaffes by Matt Eberflus and Tyrique Stevenson resulted in the Hail Mary, and the team never recovered. They went on to lose ten straight games.
Everybody presumed it would reach 11 in Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. Johnson was tired of hearing about it. When asked about the mentality going into that game, he was direct. “F**k ’em.” The Bears came out with urgency, spearheaded by a strong defensive effort. If people weren’t sure about Johnson’s mentality before the game, he left no doubt when he flipped off fans on camera.
Naturally, this drew criticism for lacking class and professionalism. The hilarious part is Johnson had a moment before exiting that showcased the utmost compassion one player can show an opponent. It came when Packers wide receiver Christian Watson crumpled to the turf, having torn his ACL.
He hates Green Bay with a passion because of the fans and the constant losing to them. At the same time, he doesn’t hate their players. Everybody is just trying to do their jobs. Watson didn’t have to play in that game. He was gutting through an injury. His team needed a win to improve their playoff seeding. Sadly, it cost him the season. Jaylon Johnson understood the injury was bad and offered him comfort. Once it was clear the receiver was getting proper treatment, the Bears cornerback didn’t mind reminding fans how he really felt about them. In the end, he got the last laugh. Chicago stunned Green Bay in the final seconds 24-22, snapping the losing streak and winning at Lambeau for the first time in almost ten years.
