It was a rough day at the office for the Chicago Bears in a 27-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Chicago’s defense struggled to stop the run — allowing 203 yards on the ground — but there were also struggles through the air.
Rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon had a forgettable outing against the Packers, where he was picked on early and often by Aaron Rodgers. It wasn’t exactly a surprise that Rodgers was coming for him, and Gordon could do little to stop it.
Gordon gave up 10 catches on 13 targets for 162 yards and a touchdown against the Packers.
“There’s definitely a lot of things that I want to do better,” Gordon said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “I know there’s more plays out there that I know that I can make. It’s really just a learning experience for me to take from it and go back and learn from it.”
While Gordon was picked on quite often by Rodgers, he said he’s using the entire experience for what’s next.
“I definitely did learn a lot from Rodgers,” Gordon said. “Just how I can move throughout the defense and then just me, myself, personal stuff that I can do.
“Really, it’s more the mental side of the game, the battles, and knowing and positioning myself in a better way to make the play. That’s what I’ll be ready for next time.”
For the second straight week, opposing offenses are staying far away from CB1 Jaylon Johnson, who hasn’t been targeted in either Weeks 1 or 2.
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson was not targeted in coverage as the nearest defender for the second-consecutive game.
Johnson has gone 61-consecutive coverage snaps without being targeted dating back to Week 18 of last season (51 in 2022).#CHIvsGB @ChicagoBears
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 19, 2022
Johnson, who was once the guy in Gordon’s shoes, had some advice for the rookie.
“S—t, keep playing,” Johnson said. “It’s part of the league. People going to have those games where people come after them. You just have to figure out a way to get them off your back at the end of the day. But s–t, it happens to the best of us.
“It ain’t too much to teach. You got to feel it of course. You got to go through it. You can’t erase it. Just keep his head up. We’ve all had them, people at the cornerback position, you know what that feeling is like. There’s not too much you can really tell somebody that’s a competitor, that wants to win, that wants to of course not having quarterbacks going after you. You just got to keep going at the end of the day.”
While Sunday’s performance wasn’t what Gordon wanted to put out there, he understands it comes with the territory.
“It’s frustrating but I’m not mad at it because I’m going to learn from it,” Gordon said. “It’s experience that I want and I will learn and grow from.”
