It's no secret the Chicago Bears lost a lot of close games last season. It's why Matt Eberflus was relieved of his duties before last season was over. Well, Bears fans should be happy to know that one key stat that separates Ben Johnson from Matt Eberflus is Johnson's ability to win close games.
Keep in mind, the Bears got off to a hot start last season--going 4-2 before the bye. For all intents and purposes, things looked like they were heading on an upward trend, especially after they handily defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers.
For the 2024 Bears, things fell apart when games were close. There was the Washington Commanders Hail Mary game, the blocked field goal against the Green Bay Packers, and Eberflus's questionable clock management against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Ultimately, Eberflus's clock management, play calling, and losing close games are what led to his demise in the Windy City.
Out of the Bears' 12 losses last season, 7 of them were games where the winner was decided by one score or less, per Pro Football Reference.
This became a major problem during the Matt Eberflus era. Simply put, you need to win close games in order to make it in the NFL. It can be the difference between being a playoff team or drafting in the top 10. In fact, there were five games during the Matt Eberflus era where the Bears had over a 90% chance to win and ended up losing in all of them, per Yahoo Sports. That can't happen.
You are probably wondering why you are being reminded of this. Well, if Ben Johnson has proven anything, it's that he can close out a game. During his final season in Detroit, the Lions won seven games where the score was decided by one score or less, per Pro Football Reference. If the Bears could have just won a few of their close games from last season, they could have earned a playoff berth as a wild card team.
Hopefully, Johnson can change this worrying trend in his first season as head coach.