Ben Johnson reveals the red zone play-calling decision he'd undo after the close 49ers loss, a costly choice with playoff implications.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson took some accountability after the 42-38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football.
Just as anticipated, the game was a high-scoring affair, with points at a premium. The game was tied at 35 late in the fourth quarter, and Chicago had to settle for a field goal, which proved costly.
The Bears dominated in the early part of the fourth quarter. D'Andre Swift scored on a 22-yard touchdown to tie things up. The defense then forced the 49ers to punt the ball back to the offense.
Chicago moved the ball and got into the red zone, but the playcalling was a little questionable. The Bears didn't pass the ball one time once they got there.
The running game wasn't always effective, but it was still a puzzling decision given how close the offense was to scoring. Swift led the way with 54 rushing yards, which was his lowest total since the 30-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens (45) back in October.
Chicago had to settle for a field goal, costing itself later on, as the 49ers scored a touchdown to make it 42-38 on their next drive.
As fans know, the Bears got the ball back with 2:15 left and needed a touchdown.
Caleb Williams and the offense got inside the red zone again and needed one last play with four seconds to go. Williams looked for Jahdae Walker in the end zone, but the pass fell incomplete, and the Bears lost.
At Monday's press conference, Johnson was asked about the play calling on the field-goal drive. Instead of brushing off the question or being upset, he addressed it and noted that he could've done better.
"I think you hit the nail on the head," Johnson said. "Out of that whole game, that field goal drive, once we got in the red zone, I wasn't very happy with how I called that."
Taking the field goal in that situation was a game-changing decision, and one that hurt the Bears in the long run. If Chicago did find a way to score a touchdown there instead of taking three points, we may be having a different conversation about how the Bears could be competing for the No. 1 seed.
At the end of the day, that's what hindsight is, and we can't change it now.
However, there is still a lot to be happy about, as the Bears will be the No. 3 seed in the NFC, at least depending on how certain outcomes unfold on Sunday.
The Bears will either play the Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Rams, or the 49ers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. For now, the Bears will have to worry about beating the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field in Week 18.
Kickoff is at 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox.