The featured game of the NFL's Week 18 scheduled to close out the regular season was the Sunday night contest between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.
The game would not only be the decisive contest for the winner of the NFC North this season but also determine who gets a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Despite the injuries they have faced to close out the season, the Lions had a resounding 31-9 victory on Sunday night. The Lions will now have a bye next weekend as the Minnesota Vikings will face the Los Angeles Rams next Monday night to close out Wild Card weekend.
The Lions' Week 18 victory was huge for the Chicago Bears' HC search.
For the Chicago Bears, they had a close eye on the game for several reasons. The biggest being that the game featured three of the Bears' top candidates for their head coaching vacancy. Vikings' defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and Lions' defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are among the candidates the Bears are expected to interview.
Many believe Johnson to be the favorite, which is why the Lions' victory on Sunday night was important for the Bears' head coach search.
With the Lions on a Bye Week, the NFL interview rules allow for the Bears to interview Johnson and Glenn this week. The interviews are required to be virtual and will need to be completed by next Monday.
Assuming Johnson agrees to the interview, the meeting this week would be an important first step in the Bears recruiting the Lions' offensive coordinator. Recent speculation has suggested Johnson may prefer the Jacksonville Jaguars' opening but many NFL insiders have the Bears near the top of his list as well. Considering Ryan Poles is expected to be retained as the Bears' general manager, it may take some additional convincing for Johnson to take a head coaching job where he wouldn't be completely aligned with his general manager.
For Flores, the Bears will need to wait until the end of the Vikings' playoff run if they are going to interview the former Miami Dolphins' head coach.