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NFL Fans Ripped Ben Johnson for Controversial Fourth-Down Decisions in Bears-Packers

Johnson decided to go for it on fourth down from his own 32-yard line against the Packers.

Blake Silverman

Ben Johnson and the Bears took on the Packers Saturday during wild-card weekend
Ben Johnson and the Bears took on the Packers Saturday during wild-card weekend / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
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First-year Bears coach Ben Johnson made his playoff debut Saturday as Chicago took on the Packers at home after winning the NFC North crown. Unfortunately for the former Lions offensive coordinator, his squad had a rough go of it in the first half as the Bears turned the ball over three times following a field goal on their opening drive.

In each of Chicago’s turnovers, Johnson decided to go for it on fourth down, resulting in two turnovers on downs and an interception from quarterback Caleb Williams, which was just as good as an arm punt. The most questionable call from the Bears coach came with 5:19 left in the second quarter as he let his offense stay out on the field for a fourth-and-five play from Chicago’s own 32-yard line.

Williams got the ball out fast to try and avoid Green Bay’s pass rush, who ended up tipping his throw at the line of scrimmage to send the ball safely in the dirt to give the Packers the ball back while already in field-goal range and up 14-3.

The Packers later took advantage of the prime field position with a fourth-down play of their own.

The Green Bay touchdown allowed the Packers to take a 21-3 lead into halftime as the Bears struggled to find any momentum, going 1-for-4 on Johnson’s fourth-down calls, which were much of the story in the first half.

Earlier in the half, Williams threw an interception on a fourth-and-6 play from the Green Bay 40-yard line. The Bears were lucky that Packers defensive back Carrington Valentine caught the ball, relinquishing some field position, although Green Bay scored anyway on the next drive.

Then near the end of the first half, the Bears had yet another miss on a fourth-down attempt, with Williams overthrowing tight end Colston Loveland in go-for-it territory.

“We want to maximize our possessions and we want to go for fourth-down plays,” Johnson said in a halftime interview on the Amazon Prime broadcast about his questionable approach.

To make matters even worse for Chicago, the Bears found themselves in yet another difficult fourth-down situation in the third quarter. Chicago drove all the way down to Green Bay’s six-yard line while trailing by two scores after a field goal earlier in the second half. The Bears faced a fourth-and-1 at the six, bringing Johnson to go for it once more. Williams saw pressure and was forced to loft the ball into the air, which resulted in another interception on fourth down and a squandered drive.

NFL fans and personalities had plenty to say about Johnson’s decision making as he appeared to channel his former superior, Lions coach Dan Campbell:

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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