Ben Johnson got his first taste of head coaching in the Chicago Bears‘ preseason opener against Miami. Everybody knew the 38-year-old was one of the best offensive minds in the league. What they waited to see was whether he could handle the other duties like personnel usage, clock management, and in-game decisions that gave his team a better chance to win. By all accounts, Johnson handled things well. There were no glaring mistakes, and the Bears ran a smooth operation outside of your typical mistakes like penalties and such.
However, one sequence provided evidence that the team upgraded from Matt Eberflus.
It came at the end of the first half. Miami had the ball with ten seconds left. Zacch Pickens sacked quarterback Zach Wilson. Since it was within the final two minutes, the clock stopped. There were six seconds left. Chicago had the ball at their own 48-yard line. The problem was that Tyson Bagent didn’t have the arm for a Hail Mary, and they were out of field goal range. Eberflus almost certainly would’ve just taken a knee in that situation.
Not Johnson.
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He stayed aggressive, calling a quick crossing route to Luther Burden, who used his speed to just barely reach the sideline after picking up 13 yards, preserving one second on the clock. Cairo Santos then connected on the 57-yard field goal.
Ben Johnson trusted his players and was rewarded.
Taking a knee was the safe thing to do in that situation. You didn’t risk a turnover or a player getting injured on a low-probability chance to score. Ben Johnson said screw that. He would stay aggressive as long as there was time on the clock. He trusted Bagent to get the ball out fast and Burden to have the presence of mind to sprint for the sideline after getting as much yardage as possible. Keep in mind, one guy was a backup QB with limited playing experience, and the other was a rookie receiver. Yet they executed it like ten-year vets. That speaks to Johnson’s coaching, showing they were prepared for that situation. The field goal ended up being crucial to preserving a 24-24 tie. While only a small victory, it was the first sign that the Bears finally have somebody in charge who knows what he’s doing.
