Ben Johnson is trying to save Bears fans and media from themselves

The Chicago Bears lost Ben Johnson's debut, 27-24, in a thrilling Monday night showdown with the Minnesota Vikings. It was a back-and-forth game, with Chicago jumping out to an early lead, only for Minnesota to rampage back after halftime. J.J. McCarthy made a strong first impression. Chicago's offense finally has some zest. But in the end, it was a familiar, deflating outcome for Bears fans.

Plenty went wrong for Chicago, but one mistake in particular has captured the fixation of disgruntled fans — and puzzled reports, apparently. After bringing the deficit within three with a touchdown in the final minutes, the Bears were set to kick off. There was 2:02 left on the clock.

Based on new rules, a kickoff out of bounds would have given Minnesota the football at the 40-yard line without taking time off the clock. A touchback kicked through the end zone would have similarly kept the clock at 2:02, but left the Vikings at the 35-yard line.

Instead, Bears kicker Cairo Santos booted it seven yards deep into the end zone, and the Vikings returned it to the 26-yard line. Worse field position, but that decision ate more than two seconds off the clock and triggered the two-minute warning. That meant the Bears, in a time crunch, couldn't use the two-minute warning as a de facto timeout during the actual offensive possession. It was a critical error.

Johnson was asked about this goof on Friday. His irritation was palpable.

"Can we go on to the next game?" he asked (h/t NBC Sports).

Once the question finished, Johnson gave his explanation:

"Last time I’m going to bring up last game, OK? I got greedy, and I wanted the extra five yards. That’s why we tried to kick it out the back of the end zone. Simple as that, OK?”

Ben Johnson gives blunt and honest assessment of Bears kickoff gaffe

This is the correct attitude from Johnson. The Bears wanted the touchback. The plan, on paper, was the correct one — to maximize field position while stopping the clock. Santos simply couldn't execute. Now, was it worth the risk of Santos coming up short? Clearly not. But it's not like Johnson was unaware of the rule book.

Every coach makes mistakes. This was a valuable lesson for Johnson and one he can apply to future close games. He's a first-time head coach. He has never been in the driver's seat for a decision like that. He took an overly aggressive approach, but it's hard to blame him for that. It's one game. One missed opportunity. Dwelling on fixable errors is not productive for anyone — not Johnson, not the Bears and certainly not Bears fans.

It's time to move on. Chicago has a chance to bounce back with a big statement in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. It's an important game for Johnson, of course, as he faces his former team. It's equally important for the Bears, who can't really afford to begin the campaign 0-2 after such a promising offseason.

The Bears got exactly who they asked for with Ben Johnson hire

Johnson's aggressive attitude doesn't exactly come out of nowhere, either. The Bears wanted this. Johnson became famous for his ambitious play calls in Detroit. The Lions were known to break out trick plays and go for it on fourth down. Few coaches embrace risk and go for the juggular quite like Johnson.

That is a strength, not a weakness. Coaches who play it safe almost never go far. There is a fine line between aggressive and reckless, of course, and Johnson will need to stray further from the latter in future weeks. But after toiling in mediocrity under Matt Eberflus, Johnson promises to give Chicago a shot in the arm with not only an effective scheme but also a go-for-broke approach that keeps the pressure on the opponent.

What did Bears fans expect? You can't coach like Johnson without the occasional slip-up, the occasional misfire. Losing out on the two-minute warning was brutal, but Johnson would look like a genius if Santos was able to kick it through the back of the end zone. There is just as much blame on the player(s) who didn't execute. The coach can't play the game on the field. He can only call plays and supply guidance.

Chicago has a massive game on the docket this week. That should be the focus for everyone in the locker room and around the team. Johnson isn't hiding from responsibility. He's clear-eyed about his mistake. But that's in the past now, and there's no reason to belabor the point. Take notes, learn from it and leave it in the past.