Bears’ new passing duo shouldered the burden in 21-17 win over Texans

It’s not a passing combination the Bears are likely to think about much during the regular season, or at least hope not to.

It’s still nice to have in your back pocket.

Quarterback Brett Rypien connected three times with 6-foot-6 wide receiver Collin Johnson, including two touchdowns, and led the Bears to a 21-17 preseason victory in the Hall of Fame Game.

“This meant a lot to me tonight,” Rypien said. “I’m sitting on a year since my last start in Green Bay didn’t go the way I wanted it to.”

“I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth all offseason.”

Rypien’s 13-of-28 performance for 130 yards and a 45.2 passer rating against the Packers as the Rams’ starting replacement for Matthew Stafford on Nov. 5 was nothing like the Rypien who stood in the pocket Thursday, slid back and forth at times and threw on time while racking up three touchdown passes and 166 yards on 11-of-15 attempts with a 148.9 passer rating.

“I took the approach that I didn’t really know what this year was going to look like, even if I was going to have a chance to compete for anything, but I just kept working hard every day and said, you know, I’m just going to do what I can.

“I know how I play my best football and I’m going to try to get back to that.”

Maybe it was simply because of the stadium and the Hall of Fame setting, but it was his second time making an impact there. He had thrown for 41 yards and a touchdown in a 14-10 Denver victory in the 2019 Hall of Fame Game.

BACKUP QB CONTROVERSY? BRETT RYPIEN LEADS TEXANS TO WIN

“That’s what you know as a backup quarterback, you have to be ready at any time,” Rypien said. “You never know what that opportunity is going to be or when it’s going to come, and you’re playing in limited (practice) reps most of the time.

“I think it’s a skill you have to learn to hone and go out and execute when you haven’t gotten as many reps at full speed with the guys that are out there.”

Johnson’s three catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns might have been even better if not for a replay challenge that backfired on him on a second back-shoulder catch he made. A 20-yard reception and a 9-yarder for the go-ahead touchdown.

The combination of him and Johnson had its roots in practice earlier in the week, when Rypien found Johnson on a deeper behind-the-shoulder throw along the sidelines.

“I’ve been really close with him since I came into the building,” Rypien said of Johnson. “A guy like him with that much size and great throwing ability, too, so when you have him in pressure coverage there are a lot of types of throws you can make to him.”

“You can lead him up. You can throw those longer shoulders back at him, which is what I was doing tonight because I knew I had the size advantage in the corner. But yeah, he’s a great guy and an amazing player, too.”

Johnson was on the Bears’ practice squad last year and briefly on the regular roster near the end of the season. He has 30 career receptions after early stints with Jacksonville and the Giants.

It was a catch he made on a behind-the-shoulder pass from Rypien earlier this week that might have made all of this possible.

“I think I hit him with a ball a couple of days ago,” Rypien said. “I’ve been really close to him since I walked into the building.”

“With a guy like him, with that much size and with great shooting ability, when you have him in pressure coverage, there are a lot of types of passes you can make to him. You can take him over the top. You can throw those longer passes back, which is what I was doing tonight because I knew I had the size advantage at corner. But yeah, he’s a great guy and an unbelievable player, too.”

Rypien has a positive feeling about the Bears, although he hasn’t been as positive in recent offseasons.

“Last year I thought I was going to sign fairly early, having made two starts the year before. But it didn’t work out and I ended up not signing with Los Angeles until the end of May,” Rypien said. “I think I was very lucky to sign on the second day of free agency this year.”

Johnson is recovering from a surgically repaired torn right Achilles tendon

“It’s been a long road for me, with injuries and stuff like that,” Johnson said. “So I just wanted to do my best. I think I accomplished that tonight.”

“I left some plays up in the air and I’m just going to learn from them. I’m just going to keep stepping on the gas and keep moving forward, keep getting better because that’s all I know.”

Johnson was almost as proud of his special teams play as his receptions. He recorded the first tackle ever made under the new kickoff rule.

“I started making some plays on offense and HT (Richard Hightower), our special teams coordinator, told me, ‘Colin, I’m going to take you off special teams,’ and I said, ‘No sir, I want to be there, I want to show you that I can do it. ‘ And to make that special teams tackle on the opening kickoff because it’s the first tackle for this new kickoff rule was great. And I’m just going to continue to grow.”

The behind-the-back pass he caught to spark a three-catch, 56-yard day was key to his receptions.

“It was one pass, one catch, but it was a big play for us because it was a direct pass and he put it over his shoulder right where a big receiver likes to be. I think we just grow from there. Sometimes all you need is a couple plays in practice.”

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