He did it again. Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has a reputation for getting too cute at times, especially when it matters the most.
In the Bears' first matchup with the Packers, in Green Bay, Johnson called a play-action pass on 4th-and-1 with the game on the line, in the fourth quarter, and it resulted in a Caleb Williams interception. Obviously the Bears lost that game.
In the Bears' rematch with the Packers in Week 16, Johnson was at it again. The Bears' initial offensive possession was going swimmingly and, then, the Bears faced a 4th-and-1 from the Packers' 4-yard line.
Johnson chose to line up with running back Kyle Monangai in the shotgun. It was a trick play ... on 4th-and-1 from the 4-yard line.
What happened?
Center Drew Dalman snapped the ball right over the head of Monangai and the Bears turned it over on downs.
Ben Johnson keeps testing fate and the Bears keep getting burned
Monangai is listed at 5-foot-8. Williams, meanwhile, is 6-foot-1. That's a difference of five inches, which makes that a very difficutl snap even for Dalman.
You can argue whichever way you want. Had the snap been on target, Monangai gets the first down. I get it. But, it was a bad snap. It was a bad snap on a trick play, and in a fourth-and-short situation, again.
For fans who have been watching Johnson longer than just this season, it's nothing new. He did the very same thing with the Detroit Lions, As good as Johnson is, and as smart as he is, he tends to overthink some of the most simple scenarios.
Look at the facts, because they speak for themselves. On that first offensive drive, for the Bears, they were averaging a healthy 5.8 yards per carry. The Bears had run it for 46 yards on eight carries.
Johnson had the right guy in the back field, but the wrong play call. These are the types of decisions that are going to kill the Bears. In a similar fashion, Lions fans complained about the same thing late last season when he was still with Detroit.
This Bears team has the personnel to be a great short-yardage unit. The offensive line is top-notch. Monangai is as good and physical a back as Chicago has had in a few years.
It seems way too easy, but Johnson just can't make the right call.
Hopefully, this gets cleaned up before it really backfires.