Ben Johnson praises Dennis Allen, Bears coaching staff for preparation

In the midst of a Week 12 matchup with several starters out on both sides of the ball, the Chicago Bears were able to overcome adversity and defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-28. Sunday's victory gave Chicago a four-game winning streak for the second time this season, improving their record to 8-3, and keeping them atop the NFC North.

There should be praise given to the players who stepped up, especially on defense with all three starting linebackers missing the game, but the coaches also deserve credit. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has yet to have a full and healthy starting lineup available to him this season, but he somehow continues to find ways to have his players ready on game day.

Picking up another two takeaways in their win over the Steelers, the Bears defense extended their league-lead in takeaways with 24. After the win, head coach Ben Johnson praised his coaching staff, specifically Allen, and the job he's done all season

"You can't understand the importance of these guys. I'm talking about the coaching staff," Johnson said. "That's all three phases. They do a phenomenal job of piecing this thing together. We meet early in the week, and we kind of forecast how we think it's going to go, and then the week of practice kind of dictates who's going to be up and who's going to be down to a degree. Each week is a little bit different story. Like I said, you've got different guys stepping up and answering that bell, and that's why the week of preparation is so important for us too. These young players, they get a chance to instill confidence in the coaching staff and find a role and a niche when there's an opportunity available."

In his first year as a head coach in the NFL, Johnson did a fine job in building a strong coaching staff with respected assistants around him, and they're firing on all cylinders. Johnson will get the praise and credit for the job he's done, but he has never been shy of giving credit when and where it's due to his assistant coaches.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson praises Dennis Allen, Bears coaching staff for preparation