The Bears lead the NFL in time of possession, but that doesn't matter to coach Ben Johnson.
"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.
The Bears' average time of possession of 35:30 per 60-minute game is the highest in the NFL, they've run 505 offensive plays this season, which is by far the most of any team, and they're the only team averaging more than 70 offensive plays per game. Johnson said he thinks about how long drives affect players, both on offense and defense, but that he's ultimately happier when his offense scores quickly than slowly.
"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."
The Bears have shown they're a good offense, even if sometimes it takes them longer to get into the end zone than Johnson would like.