The important thing to remember as you continue reading this blog is that the Bears are probably going to hire Ben Johnson in a month. Just keep focusing on Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. You're about to get mad at Ben Johnson so, so soon – if you're not already – and it's crucial that you try and keep in mind that he's going to be the next Chicago Bears head coach and Sunday was the last time they'll play the Lions this season.
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It's probably not a coincidence that Sunday morning's pre-kickoff news dump brought some new rumors about how Johnson was "intrigued" by the Bears' job. He's *the* name in this year's coaching cycle, and Bears president Kevin Warren made it clear during his recent press conference that the Bears were going to take some big swings this offseason.
And though it's probably more of a TV narrative than anything else, it was hard not to see Sunday's game as a bit of a showcase for Johnson. The good news for Bears fans is that if it was a showcase, Johnson knocked it out of the park. The bad news is that he found an entirely new, horrifying way to embarrass the Bears in the process.
The Lions found a fresh new way to embarrass the Bears in Week 16
The Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs coordinated trip on the LaPorta TD play is called “stumble bum” and it WAS a designed trip, inspired by a play Ben Johnson saw of Jordan Love actually dropping the snap vs Chicago and pulling off a big pass.
— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) December 22, 2024
Craig Reynolds said the whole Lions sideline was screaming “ball!” during the stumble to make the Bears defense think there was a ball on the ground https://t.co/txXARWwfYr
— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) December 22, 2024
Tough scene. For a normal team, this would probably be one of the most embarrassing moments of the season. But for the Bears this, what, maybe cracks the Top 5? The Lions were literally playing worse as a bit. In the middle of an NFL game. I don't think we're fully comprehending how confident you have to be to install a play that personally insulting. And the Packers are somehow involved? The audacity takes your breath away. An offensive game plan that boils down to "deeply embarrassing your future employer" is diabolical, but also kind of charming? Imagine the revenge games in Detroit!
If Sunday afternoon is solely what convinces the Bears to hire Ben Johnson than 1. they have learned nothing and every Bears fan is doomed and 2. it'd be hard to blame them.