Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears were on the doorstep of something special Sunday night. After a rollercoaster of a game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Bears found themselves one play away from punching a ticket to the NFC Championship. And while Johnson’s offense had its moments - including a jaw-dropping 4th-down touchdown from Caleb Williams - the night ultimately ended in heartbreak, with the Rams escaping in overtime.
Let’s be clear: there’s plenty of blame to go around in this one. Williams threw some costly interceptions, the wideouts - including Rome Odunze - had some tough drops, and the offense as a whole just didn’t execute when it mattered most.
That includes Johnson, who made several high-stakes decisions that will be dissected all offseason. But none looms larger than the one he made in the final seconds of regulation.
After Williams delivered a highlight-reel touchdown on 4th down to bring the Bears within one, the crowd was electric. The Rams were stunned.
Momentum had swung hard in Chicago’s favor. And then came the moment of truth: go for two and the win, or kick the extra point and play for overtime?
Johnson chose the latter.
It was a decision that immediately sparked debate. Fans wanted the knockout punch.
The team had just pulled off a miracle - why not ride that wave and go for the win? But Johnson had his reasons, and after the game, he laid them out.
The Bears had been struggling in short-yardage situations all night, and he didn’t trust that the offense could flip the switch in that moment.
And the numbers back him up. Chicago was 0-for-3 in 3rd or 4th and short situations in the first half alone.
The most glaring miss came in the fourth quarter, when the Bears passed on a chip-shot field goal and went for it on 4th-and-goal from the Rams’ 2-yard line. The play was there - Johnson dialed up a design that should’ve worked - but Odunze missed a key block in the end zone, and the run was stuffed.
That sequence loomed large in Johnson’s thinking when the game was on the line.
In his words: the Bears simply weren’t getting it done in short yardage, and asking that same group to convert the most important two yards of the season felt like too big a risk. So he played it safe, kicked the extra point, and trusted his defense to get the stop - which they did. The Bears got the ball first in overtime with a chance to win it.
But then came the final blow: a miscommunication between Williams and D.J. Moore led to an interception, setting up the Rams for the game-winning field goal.
So, did Johnson make the right call?
Given the context, it’s hard to argue he didn’t. The Bears’ short-yardage woes weren’t just a blip - they were a trend all night.
Betting your season on something that hadn’t worked all game long is a bold move, and Johnson decided not to roll those dice. He trusted his defense, got the stop, and gave his offense a shot to win it in overtime.
The execution just wasn’t there.
That’s the hard part about playoff football - the margins are razor thin. One missed block.
One bad read. One miscommunication.
And your season’s over.
Ben Johnson didn’t lose this game with that decision. He made a calculated choice based on how his team was performing in real time. It didn’t work out, but it wasn’t the wrong call.