NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Jared Goff, Vikings, Kirk Cousins

Bears

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson is trying to learn from former Bears CB Charles Tillman, who made a name for himself forcing dumbles, recording NFL records of 12 in one season and four in a single game.

“I just met [Tillman] for the first time during the Walter Payton interviews,” Johnson said, via BearsWire.com. “Being able to talk to him, up close and personal, talk about personal things, talk about football. Just us two, not seeing him in a team setting or him giving the team a speech, but actually being able to shake his hand, talk to him, and look him in the eye. I just got his number so that relationship will end up growing.”

Lions

Lions QB Jared Goff said he doesn’t pay attention to criticism and thinks people are changing their tone after winning their last five of six games. 

“I don’t really care. Yeah, I don’t,” Goff said, via ProFootballTalk. “I really just enjoy winning with these guys, and whatever people may have said earlier on in the year, they were probably justified in some ways. We were 1-6, not playing very well. Now, we are playing pretty well, and everyone seems to have changed their minds on us, and we tried to stay right in the middle.”

Goff added that their “biggest challenge” going forward is to show maturity. 

“I think that’s the biggest challenge for us now is show our maturity, show that we can handle a little bit of praise and handle a little bit of people thinking that we’re good, and not change the way we’re approaching each week.”

Goff said that receiving criticism is normal, especially as a quarterback in the NFL. 

“What would I lash out about? Tom Brady gets criticized, everyone gets criticized, we all get criticized,” Goff said. “So, part of this business especially when you play quarterback, you’re going to see it. It’s not the first time, probably won’t be the last and I’ll handle it just the same way as I handle success. It’s good and bad, and you go with it and move on.”

• Field Yates reports that new Rams DT Larrell Murchison also had waiver claims put in on him by the Lions and Seahawks.

Vikings

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said that QB Kirk Cousins was “attempting to will our football team to a victory” yesterday against the Lions. 

“He was attempting to will our football team to a victory,” O’Connell said of Cousins, via VikingsWire.com. “Justin’s adjustments he made since the last time he played against these guys, I thought he played incredibly fast and explosive and Kirk was right there with him every step of the way. I am really proud of those guys and I think that will help us continue to help us moving forward. We did a lot of different things today in the pass game to kind of have a plan of attack based off of what we saw the last time [against the Lions]. Pair that with a little bit better of a day running the football and I think that [puts us] offensively in a place where we feel like we can compete.”