LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has played against the Green Bay Packers eight times.
Eight separate weeks over his first five seasons, he answered questions about the rivalry. Seven of those eight games ended in a loss, and none entered with any kind of storyline other than it being the oldest rivalry in football, and Johnson was a natural spokesperson.
Finally, Johnson can talk about a meeting between the NFC North foes that has playoff ramifications.
“I think for us going into this game,” he said Tuesday, “we have more belief than what we’ve had before because we’ve put in the work and we’ve seen the results come from it and you gain confidence from that.”
This wasn’t a game that anyone projected would be between a pair of teams vying for the division; it also wasn’t a game Johnson expected to get to play in after undergoing surgery in late September.
Johnson discussed a rehab that was mental and spiritual as well as physical. He said that while he ruled himself out for the season, as many seemed to after the groin injury he suffered in Detroit in Week 2, “God had different plans.”
During his time away post-surgery, he went on a 10-day fast, consuming only fruit (berries, mango, pineapple and apple) and water. He said he lost over 20 pounds.
“Really just stripped myself in that moment,” Johnson said. “I was already vulnerable physically, but I would say, just also stripping myself spiritually and mentally and pushing myself to get closer to God and be uncomfortable, because throughout this whole process, that’s what I’ve been. I think for me, that gave me a lot more strength, that gave me a lot more peace with where I’m at in life.”
While sidelined, Johnson chose to watch from home rather than be on the sideline.
“I’ve been playing this game since I was 7 years old, so for me to have the game taken from me through injury was something I wanted to kind of protect myself mentally,” he said. “It was best for me to be home, but it was definitely good to see the guys succeeding on the screen.”
When coach Ben Johnson opened Jaylon Johnson’s practice window before the game against the Steelers, it was stunning. A week later, Jaylon Johnson returned for the franchise’s biggest win since he arrived in 2020, two coaching staffs ago.
Johnson played in 33 of the 54 snaps in the win over the Eagles. He had one tackle and dove to alter an incomplete, third-down pass.
Uno gettin’ active pic.twitter.com/oBMFVn5zY4
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 28, 2025
He said he felt a little sore after the game and will see how his body responds as far as any kind of pitch count on Sunday afternoon in Green Bay.
One way the Bears’ coaches rotated cornerbacks and kept Johnson’s snaps in check was by rotating Kyler Gordon, also returning from injury, to the outside corner spot. Nick McCloud also played 10 snaps.
But when the Eagles had a third down on a series with Johnson on the sideline, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen took advantage of his new abundance of cover men. He’d put Johnson back on the field opposite Nahshon Wright, the league’s takeaways leader, then insert both Gordon and midseason addition C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
“That’s a strong four for anybody to go against,” Johnson said. “We’re just trying to find the best matchups for ourselves that favor us and give ourselves the best chance to win, and we know we’ve got to win on situation downs.”
Think about all the defensive backs Johnson has played with, all the coordinators he’s played for and all the times he’s entered a Packers game in which the only thing on the line was pride.
Now he rejoins a team that is currently the best in the NFC, with two defensive backs who have combined for 11 interceptions. His replacement, Wright, has had a breakout season.
“I feel like the way he’s turned the ball over, the way he has had the ball on his mind, has been really impressive,” Johnson said. “Again, you get what you emphasize. I know us as a group, we have been emphasizing and he’s been capitalizing on it all season.”
When Johnson missed all of training camp and the preseason with a separate groin injury, he returned to practice at the start of the season and played in Detroit. At the time, Ben Johnson described the impact of getting an All-Pro corner on the field.
“He comes out, he’s got a swagger to him,” he said. “Confidence, he’s not afraid to talk a little bit. That’s what I feel immediately is just the presence out there. When you watch the tape (Monday), he’s very sticky. We like to eliminate the space in our coverages, and so I think he’s going to be a really good fit for us this week.”
They’ll need that Sunday against Packers quarterback Jordan Love, in another step toward something Johnson has never experienced in his time in the NFL: a playoff appearance.
“It puts purpose to your work,” he said. “I think a lot of times, it’s easy to say be process-driven when things aren’t going well. It makes the process even more, I’d say, worth it when you’re winning and you actually have true goals that you are fighting for.
“It’s not just for the name on the back and your resume, but you’re actually fighting for the number one goal, and that’s to win the Super Bowl. So I think for us, we are taking it day by day. We aren’t thinking about the Super Bowl or playoffs, we are just thinking about one week at a time.”
