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By Aman Sharma
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No NFL team hangs on to the football longer than Chicago, and its head coach would rather nobody made a fuss about it.
Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson said he has never put much stock in time of possession, even with his 5-2 team leading the league in that category after a 30-24 Week 7 win over the New England Patriots.
Johnson waved off the figure’s importance.
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“I’ve never been one for the time of possession stat. I don’t know that that really equates to winning and losing, necessarily. And yet when you look up, we were possessing the ball more than our opponent more often than not,” Johnson said.
Those numbers are hard to miss. Chicago averages 35:30 of possession per game, the top mark leaguewide.
Through seven games, the offense has run 505 plays, a volume no other team comes close to. It’s also alone in clearing 70 snaps a game.
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Drive length isn’t off his radar entirely. Johnson said he does keep an eye on how marathon drives wear on players, on both sides of the ball, but quick touchdowns please him more than slow ones.
What the Bears preach instead is chunk yardage.
“It’s not something that we stress,” Johnson said. “We really talk more about getting explosive plays. I would rather have a one-play drive for a touchdown than a 10-play drive for a touchdown. But the ability to stay efficient, stay on schedule, I think that’s something that good offenses show that they can do.”
That approach paid off against New England. Wide receiver Luther Burden III caught four passes for 130 yards, including a 58-yard gain, and turned a third-and-15 screen into a 24-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left before halftime.
Quarterback Caleb Williams never gave the ball away, piling up 308 yards through the air and two scoring throws on his way to a 116.7 rating.
For a coach who shrugs at the stat, Johnson has built an offense that hogs the ball anyway.
Any quick-strike plans now go forward without tight end Cole Kmet, who’s done for the year after hurting his knee against the Patriots.
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