Bears' Eric Bieniemy just made an unexpected sacrifice (but he had no choice)

The Chicago Bears entered Week 11 looking for revenge against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears squandered a strong start back in Week 1, but blew a 17-6 lead to lose 27-24. The Bears have been on a roll as of late, as they won six of their last seven games, including a comeback win over the New York Giants last week.

The first half of Sunday afternoon's game was low-scoring, as the defenses of both teams did their part to keep the game close. But when it comes to the biggest hit of the first half, it wasn't on a player. Rather, it was on a coach.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams ran out of bounds on a scramble. A member of the Vikings defense, who was chasing after the quarterback, collided with Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who went flying to the ground.

Bears RB coach Eric Bieniemy gets crushed by Vikings defender in sideline collision

A collision like that would keep some down for the count. But for Bieniemy, he was able to get right back up, shake off the hit, and continue coaching Chicago's running backs.

Bieniemy is one of the newest members of the Bears' coaching staff, following the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach. Bieniemy had previously been considered a future head coach by fans and analysts, particularly when he served as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. Ultimately, Bieniemy never got a chance to be a head coach. After leaving the Chiefs, he would serve as the Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2023. The following year, Bieniemy served in the same role, but with the UCLA Bruins.

Entering the Vikings game, the Bears running backs average 147.3 yards per game, which is the second most in the NFL, only behind the Buffalo Bills (153.2). That can be a credit to Bieniemy's coaching and Johnson's play-calling.

Read more: Bears' Week 11 inactive list confirmed Jaquan Brisker's status against Vikings

Not only can Bieniemy coach up the Bears running backs, but also can take a tackle on the sidelines.